By Claude & Parth on 2026-04-08, City: Toronto, View Transcript
Toronto City Council’s Infrastructure and Environment Committee heard an update on the city’s congestion management work, including results from the 2024 construction season and new tools aimed at reducing road disruption. Chief Congestion Officer Andrew Plland said the city “saw a reduction of 2.4 days in the average amount of time that construction leads to road closures,” and reported “20 minutes saved roundtrip on line six” following enhanced transit signal priority.
Committee members and deputants also debated the city’s EV charging rollout, the Portlands Energy Centre and its health and planning impacts, OMERS’ climate commitments and fossil-fuel exposure, and the limits of municipal authority—particularly in light of provincial actions affecting climate policy.
Plland presented the city’s congestion management approach and early performance measures tied to construction coordination and signal operations. Alongside the reduction in average construction-related road-closure duration, he pointed to transit signal priority results: “with the implementation of enhanced transit signal priority on lines five and six we are seeing notable improvements… you can see 20 minutes saved roundtrip on line six.”
Speakers also discussed technology tools for traffic operations. One presentation described “Smart signals” as “basically AI based traffic signals… able to run essentially on autopilot,” while “intelligent intersections” were described as systems that “analyze the data in terms of multimodal data and provide recommendations to staff.”
Committee discussion also included enforcement and accountability for construction-related lane closures. Councillor Pasternack said, “One of the big problems we have is unjustified lane closures, particularly over the weekend where the orange barriers are up from Friday to Monday with no construction work… And these construction companies… should be held accountable for closing lanes unnecessarily.”
The committee reviewed the city’s public EV charging strategy and utilization. One speaker noted that “$20 million was spent by the parking authority” and raised concerns about low utilization. Deputy Mayor Cole questioned the revenue impact of slower chargers: “The fact that they aren't fast chargers mean that they'll probably remain low. So, how many spots are actually sterilized that could be used for revenue generation?”
Councillor Saxe pressed staff and the program’s reporting for clarity and prioritization, arguing that EV charging should not displace other transportation goals: “Walking, transit, cycling has to come first before any kind of vehicle.” Saxe also highlighted grid-support potential: “One of the potential roles of EV charging in the city of Toronto is to use bidirectional charging to support the grid at peak hours.”
The Portlands Energy Center drew repeated calls from deputants to address air pollution and climate impacts. One speaker cited Toronto Public Health figures: “air pollution… currently contributes to 1,300 premature deaths a year and 3,550 hospitalizations.” Another deputant described the facility as “Toronto's number one smog and climate poller, spewing out noxious gases around the clock.”
Delegations also connected the issue to broader climate urgency. Dr. Millie Roy told the committee, “Climate change is the greatest health crisis we face and air pollution kills over 8 million people annually worldwide, including over 15,000 Canadians.”
Several speakers emphasized jurisdictional limits and the need for provincial action. One comment captured the theme: “We don't have that authority… the provincial government has a tremendous amount of power that they like to use over the city very regularly.”
OMERS’ climate strategy prompted pointed questions about fossil-fuel exposure and fiduciary duty. Councillor Saxe asked directly: “Are you putting new money into fossil assets which are taking our climate apart?” In response, an OMERS representative said, “We may very well invest in a new nuclear plant, but we will not be investing in a new pipeline.”
Delegations argued that climate-aligned investing is consistent with fiduciary responsibility. One speaker said, “We've reached the point now of understanding that investing in line with climate action and a net zero future is fully in line with fiduciary responsibility.”
Committee members repeatedly returned to the limits of city authority and the impact of provincial decisions. Councillor Chernoslin said, “the province is pushing through Bill 98… they're basically stripping all the green standards unilaterally.” Another speaker summarized the constraint on municipal action: “Some of this is not in the city's hands and requires that enabling legislation.”
Passed: - IE 28.1 - Congestion Management Plan 2026 Spring Update (with amendments requesting supplementary reports on construction coordination, Ontario Line impacts, and public data access) - IE 28.9 - Durham Boundary Facilities Agreement - Kingston Road Bridge - IE 28.10 - Traffic Control Signals - Victoria Park Avenue - IE 28.3 - Public Electric Vehicle Charging Three-Year Plan (with amendments on Peak Perks promotion, balcony solar panels, and zoning obstacle review) - IE 28.4 - The Electrification Advantage (with amendments requesting targets and timelines) - IE 28.8 - Community Sports Equipment Sponsorship (one-year pilot with councillor opt-in/opt-out provision) - Wilson Avenue BIA Rehabilitation motion (Councillor Pastron)
Moved to Executive Committee: - IE 28.12 - Personal Watercraft/Jet Ski Regulations (ruled out of Infrastructure Committee jurisdiction)
Referred: - IE 28.11 - Utility Construction Photo Documentation (referred to June 10th, 2026 IEC meeting with request for road repair standards and timelines)
Held: - IE 28.6 - Community Sport and Recreation Infrastructure Fund Application (held by Councillor Pastnak) - IE 28.2 - Eglinton West and Allen Road Intersection Redesign Study (held for public speakers)