Item - 2026.IE27.11

The Infrastructure and Environment Committee recommends that:

1. City Council authorize the General Manager, Transportation Services to prepare the Environmental Study Report for the Finch West Goods Movement Study Transportation Master Plan based on the preferred network solution, issue the Notice of Completion and put the Transportation Master Plan in the public record, in accordance with the requirements of the Municipal Class Environmental Assessment process.

2. City Council direct the General Manager, Transportation Services to advance the following studies and report to City Council on the progress of the following studies by the fourth quarter of 2027:

a. West Side Service Road Intersection Improvements at three locations along Clayson Road, Bartor Road and Arrow Road;

b. West-to-South and West-to-North intersection improvements at Walsh Avenue / Albion Road / Weston Road; and

c. Millwick Drive and Islington Avenue Safety Improvements and investigating a lift on existing truck restrictions on Millwick Drive.

3. City Council direct the General Manager, Transportation Services, in consultation with the Chief Executive Officer, Toronto Transit Commission, to initiate a study to consider the feasibility of allowing heavy vehicles to share the York University Busway including determining impacts on existing bus service and identifying measures to preserve TTC service levels.

The Finch West Goods Movement Study (the Study) focused on a comprehensive review of existing and future truck operations related to goods movement in the vicinity of the Finch West Light Rail Transit. 

The study area is primarily located in the City of Toronto with a small section in the City of Vaughan. Today the area is comprised of a mix of industrial, commercial, residential and retail uses, including two Provincially Significant Employment Zones supported by two Business Improvement Areas that support over 5,000 businesses and 57,000 employees.

In 2016, a staff report titled, Allocation of the Public Realm Amount - Finch West Light Rail Transit (2016.EX13.9) identified the need for a goods movement study in the northwest corner of Toronto centered on Highway 400 and the future Finch West Light Rail Transit, jointly funded by the City, Metrolinx and the Emery Village and DUKE Heights Business Improvement Areas.   

The objectives of the Study were to:

-  Review traffic and commercial truck movements in the area in the context of the Finch Avenue West Light Rail Transit corridor;

-  Apply a collaborative process to gather feedback from Business Improvement Areas and other key interest groups;

-  Identify opportunities to enhance access to 400 series highways;

-  Identify opportunities to improve safety and active transportation facilities; and,

-  Maintain or improve healthy neighbourhoods, natural and cultural environment, and social equity.

The Study identified and assessed future transportation network improvements, with recommendations for potential near-term improvements (0-5 years), medium-term improvements (>10 years), and long-term improvements (requiring further study at the appropriate time). The Study identified potential improvements that would provide opportunities to improve access to industrial zones while mitigating areas of conflict between sensitive land uses and truck traffic.

Improvements that can leverage existing infrastructure and deliver high-impact benefits for all road users are recommended to be advanced in the near-term, to begin addressing area transportation needs. The recommended near-term improvements include:

-  Intersection improvements at Weston Road and Albion Road, Millwick Drive and Islington Avenue, and three (3) intersections along Clayson Road and Arrow Road;

-  Refreshed pavement markings and state-of-good-repair improvements; and

-  Changes to signal timing plans.

The Study is a conceptual Master Plan with a long-term horizon, and not all of the potential improvements identified in the Study would be the sole responsibility or jurisdiction of the City of Toronto to fund or advance. Some examples include a potential new highway interchange with Highway 400 at Steeles Avenue West, a widening of Steeles Avenue West between Fenmar Drive and Jane Street, potential new roads crossing the GO Barrie rail line and CNR rail line, and a potential new road crossing of Highway 400.

Given the complexity of projects of this nature, long-term horizon, and other parties involved, not all of the potential improvements identified in the Study would be expected to be funded and advanced to implementation. The feasibility of the medium-term and long-term improvements identified in the Study would need to be assessed further by the City of Toronto and / or appropriate partnering jurisdictions, as the area continues to redevelop.