2026.MM42.59

Background

“The Church Street Pedestrianization Pilot, launched with overwhelming support from local businesses and the Church Wellesley Village Business Improvement Area (BIA), aims to transform Church Street into a vibrant, car-free community space. A core focus of this pilot is improving street-level accessibility along a corridor where many older storefronts are physically inaccessible due to steps and barriers. By closing the street to vehicles, an unobstructed emergency lane will run down the centre lanes to serve as the primary pedestrian walkway and sidewalk. Local businesses are enthusiastically extending their outdoor patios directly onto the curb lane, creating new, seamless access points for visitors. To guarantee safe navigation, each patio will maintain a strict one-meter clearance zone, ensuring an entirely unobstructed path for mobility devices, wheelchairs, and emergency personnel.”

Source: City of Toronto

Item Description

“This motion will provide the General Manager, Transportation Services, additional authority to make real-time adjustments to traffic management and allow a flexible, adaptive approach to optimize a highly accessible streetscape that fully supports the community and local economy. This motion is urgent as the pilot is already underway.”

Source: City of Toronto

Proposed by

Councillor Chris Moise, seconded by Councillor Josh Matlow