Item - 2025.IE20.2

The Infrastructure and Environment Committee recommends that:  

1. City Council direct the Deputy City Manager, Infrastructure Services, to report back to Infrastructure and Environment Committee as part of subsequent annual updates on Strategic Capital Coordination and Congestion Management on how the City is currently using Artificial Intelligence and opportunities to expand the application of Artificial Intelligence in capital coordination, project delivery, and congestion management, including a scan of how it is used in other jurisdictions.

Judy Tse, Director, Strategic Policy and Programs, Jennifer Graham Harkness, Chief Engineer and Executive Director, Engineering and Construction Services, and Roger Browne, Director, Traffic Management, gave a presentation on Strategic Capital Coordination: An Integrated Approach to Capital Coordination, Delivery and Congestion Management.

This first annual report of the Strategic Capital Coordination Office highlights the foundational work completed since its creation in April 2024 to strengthen how the City of Toronto coordinates infrastructure construction across multiple divisions, agencies, utilities, and private partners. As directed by City Council, this report provides a status update on Strategic Capital Coordination Office’s activities and a list of significant forecasted construction projects within the approved capital program.

Year One Progress Highlights

Strategic Capital Coordination Office was established in response to Council’s direction to strengthen capital planning and coordination across City divisions, agencies, utilities, and private developers. The goal of the Strategic Capital Coordination Office is to reduce public disruption, improve project delivery, and support a more integrated, city-wide approach to managing Toronto’s right-of-way space.

In its first year, Strategic Capital Coordination Office has laid the foundation for long-term improvements in how the City plans and delivers construction projects. While process improvements remain a central focus, some of the most impactful progress has come from building alignment and shared accountability among the many partners involved in delivering construction in the City’s right-of-way. Strategic Capital Coordination Office’s work demonstrates a shift from working in silos to working together to deliver infrastructure more efficiently.

Key accomplishments include:

- Improved collaboration with utilities, the Toronto Transit Commission, and other stakeholders to identify and address issues before they impact construction schedules.

- Establishment of an enhanced governance structure to support timely decision-making and increased accountability, consolidating 19 existing coordination tables into five streamlined tables.

- Expansion of the capital coordination process to high-growth cluster areas.

- Better integration of in-year changes to construction programs.

- Implementation of process enhancements to support more efficient city-wide coordination of capital projects.

- Introduction of new performance metrics for continuous improvement.

A Critical Time for Capital Coordination

This first Strategic Capital Coordination Office annual report comes at a critical time. The creation of Strategic Capital Coordination Office in 2024 responded to the growing complexity of Toronto’s construction environment. Over the past decade, the scale of City-led infrastructure programs has expanded significantly, accompanied by increased utility work, rapid private development, more transit projects, and increased congestion.

To address these challenges, a four-pronged, systems-based strategy is being recommended that integrates capital coordination, project delivery, procurement, and congestion management into a unified framework. At the centre of this approach, the Strategic Capital Coordination Office plays a critical coordinating role in bringing together all parts of the system by providing a city-wide lens, structured governance, and consistent engagement with internal and external partners.

Outlined in the following reports, this integrated strategy will be reviewed by the respective Committees, including Infrastructure and Environment Committee on April 9, and General Government Committee on April 7, and presented to City Council for consideration at its meeting on April 23-25, 2025.

1. Strategic Capital Coordination Office (this report) (Infrastructure and Environment Committee)

- Focus: Foundational steps to improve program coordination

2. Enhancing Capital Construction Delivery (Infrastructure and Environment Committee)

- Focus: Improving project execution to meet the pace and complexity of capital delivery

3. Review of Bid Award Panel (General Government Committee)

- Focus: Modernizing procurement to support evolving delivery models and industry capacity

4. Congestion Management Update (Infrastructure and Environment Committee)

- Focus: Reducing the mobility impacts of critical infrastructure construction

The Ongoing Work of Capital Delivery Coordination

Coordinating capital construction in a growing and dynamic city like Toronto is inherently complex. It involves aligning a multitude of projects across City divisions, external agencies, utilities, private developers, and transit operators, each with their own priorities, timelines, and constraints. Projects must navigate limited space in the right-of-way, aging infrastructure, and a congested urban environment, all while minimizing disruption to the public.

This complexity means that while there will be immediate benefits, many outcomes including improved reliability, reduced conflict, and greater efficiency, will require sustained effort and long-term commitment. The Strategic Capital Coordination Office’s focus on governance, stakeholder collaboration, performance measurement, and process improvement provide a strong foundation for continued progress.

As the City continues to invest in critical infrastructure and respond to growth pressures, Strategic Capital Coordination Office’s role in coordinating construction activity is already contributing to more consistent and predictable city-wide capital program planning. The early accomplishments outlined in this report reflect measurable progress in reducing duplication, improving communication, and identifying potential conflicts earlier. Ongoing implementation of governance and process reforms, expansion of long-range planning in cluster areas, and continued collaboration with internal and external partners will help Strategic Capital Coordination Office fulfill its mandate and deliver meaningful results.