Item - 2025.EX25.14

The Executive Committee recommends that:

1. City Council request the Government of Canada to: 

a. enhance and expand federal programs that provide financial support to families and individuals who cannot afford in-home internet, such as the Connecting Families Initiative;

b. consult with municipalities, school boards, public libraries and community organizations to ensure that subsidies are accessible, well-publicized and meet the needs of vulnerable populations; and

c. review and update income eligibility thresholds for internet subsidy programs, such as the Connecting Families Initiative, to better reflect the realities of low-income residents, particularly in large urban centres like Toronto.

This report provides an update on the ConnectTO program, as directed by Executive Committee, including information on the installation and use of public Wi-Fi across the City to bridge the digital divide, and presents a framework for future site selection, as informed by research, data and public consultations.

In 2021, the City of Toronto established the ConnectTO program, prioritizing its work to bridge the digital divide, as a response to the COVID-19 pandemic, and to address the need for residents to equitably access digital government services. The digital divide, which remains a persistent reality in Toronto, is defined as the gap between those who have internet access, along with the skills, and support to effectively engage online, and those who do not. Approximately 2% of Torontonians, or 58,000 people, currently lack affordable in-home internet access.

ConnectTO has successfully focused on expanding internet connectivity, growing the number of locations of public Wi-Fi from 100 sites exclusively in Toronto Public Library branches to a total of 252 locations across the City in various types of City facilities, with a focus on establishing sites in the City’s Neighbourhood Improvement Areas and Emerging Neighbourhoods as identified by the Toronto Strong Neighbourhoods Strategy 2020. By the end of 2025, the City will have approximately 300 public Wi-Fi locations. The program has successfully achieved coverage of public Wi-Fi in 88% of Neighbourhood Improvement Areas and Emerging Neighbourhoods, with each ward in the City hosting at least one public Wi-Fi location. Public Wi-Fi supports a range of users - in 2024, ConnectTO locations received an average of 7,600 daily connections, with 69% of those were repeat connections (users connecting more than once at a given location). The average duration of a connection is 4 hours, which includes all types of devices that can connect to Wi-Fi. Nearly half (45%) of all visits are under 2 hours; 16% are between 5-30 minutes, and over 19% of visits are over 8 hours.

Staff are committed to using a data-driven approach to inform ConnectTO investments and actions, and it is critical that the City regularly assesses its progress toward closing the digital divide and to maximize the impact of its investment. The City has partnered with higher education institutions, including Toronto Metropolitan University and the University of Toronto, commissioning regular research to understand and support the assessment of the City’s efforts to bridge the digital divide. Research and public consultations consistently identify affordability as the primary barrier to home internet access, with marginalized communities disproportionately affected by the digital divide. Public spaces offering Wi-Fi serve as critical points of access, connecting residents who would not otherwise have access to the internet.

Research and public consultations also informed the development of a framework with criteria to determine the need for public Wi-Fi in a local area (e.g. presence of equity-deserving groups, distance to existing public Wi-Fi, and potential for usage), as well as baseline requirements for public Wi-Fi installations (i.e., they must be in a City operated building, that is open to the public and has communal space available). The research also indicates that spaces where the public can linger are a better strategic Wi-Fi investment than transitory spaces, as it promotes typical Wi-Fi uses such as checking emails, working, streaming, browsing, and is supported by stable connectivity, and power access for extended device usage.

In 2025 and 2026, the ConnectTO program will focus on maximizing the impact of investments made to-date, by driving public awareness, digital literacy and utilization of public Wi-Fi, in cooperation with Toronto Public Library and Toronto Community Housing, as well as supporting broader awareness of subsidized internet access programs through the Human Services Integration program.