Item - 2025.IE24.12

The Infrastructure and Environment Committee:

1. Requested the General Manager, Transportation Services, review feasibility and sustainability options for a permanent roadside memorial program that incorporates engraved steel brace materials, in consultation with stakeholders representing cyclists and pedestrians, and not to replace "ghost bikes", and report to the Infrastructure and Environment Committee by the first quarter of 2026 with an update.

This motion seeks to inquire about potential opportunities for the City of Toronto to implement a permanent roadside memorial program that would act as an alternative to the current guidelines on makeshift roadside memorials which must adhere to Toronto Municipal Code Chapter 743-19. Memorials in streets.

There is an existing Commemorative Tree and Park Bench program that allows for the public to provide a permanent tribute to loved ones who have passed away. However, this initiative does not fulfill the request of many who wish to commemorate the victims of traffic-related fatalities near the site of the collision. Makeshift roadside memorials cannot always be properly maintained by the City or community members, and requests for a commemorative tree or bench at the site of the collision are not applicable due to no existing space for trees, benches, or memorial plaques within proximity to the site of the incident.

Several municipalities and governing bodies have incorporated policies that allow for the permanent installation of roadside memorials on city property where permitted. In 2008, the City of Calgary adopted the Honour a Loved One (HALO) program which permits the installation of engraved memorial steel bands wrapped on a streetlight or traffic signal pole at or near the scene of traffic-related fatalities. A roadside marker program in partnership with MADD Canada also exists for individuals who fell victim to a vehicle collision related drug and/or alcohol impairment on provincial highways.