Item - 2026.IE27.15
Tracking Status
- This item was considered by Infrastructure and Environment Committee on February 25, 2026 and was adopted without amendment.
IE27.15 - Options for Winter Access to Laneway Homes and Garages
- Decision Type:
- ACTION
- Status:
- Adopted
- Wards:
- All
Committee Decision
The Infrastructure and Environment Committee:
1. Requested the General Manager, Transportation Services, to include, in the next winter services report, options and associated costs to provide improved winter access for pedestrians, cyclists, and / or motor vehicles to laneway homes and / or garages.
Origin
Summary
As part of the city’s strategy to expand missing middle housing, the city has been actively encouraging laneway homes. However, the city does not currently provide any snow clearing from laneways. Increasingly, this means that residents of laneway homes have great difficulty accessing their homes following heavy snowfalls, such as those we have experienced in the last two winters.
In many downtown neighbourhoods, laneways also provide residents with their only access to parking.
Background Information
https://www.toronto.ca/legdocs/mmis/2026/ie/bgrd/backgroundfile-284561.pdf