Item - 2026.IE30.3

The Infrastructure and Environment Committee:

1. Received the report (May 28, 2206) from the General Manager, Transportation Services, for information.

This report responds to a request from the Infrastructure and Environment Committee to report to its meeting on June 10, 2026 regarding the authority the City of Toronto can exercise to address traffic and privacy issues that may arise in connection with automated vehicles on City streets or sidewalks.

The Ministry of Transportation has the authority to license Automated Vehicles operations and decide whether a specific operator’s vehicles can be deployed in Ontario, as well as where and under what conditions they may operate.

Automated Vehicles are subject to the same laws as all other vehicles under the Criminal Code, Ontario's Highway Traffic Act and the Toronto Municipal Code. However, many traffic and parking regulations are drafted contemplating a human driver, meaning that tickets must be issued to a human driver. Owner liability, meaning a ticket issued to the vehicle owner instead of the human driver, is already contemplated in many of the City's Municipal Code Chapters that include non-moving violations (parking, stopping and standing). Many moving violations under the Highway Traffic Act and Criminal Code do not contemplate driverless vehicles in this manner.

With respect to privacy, the federal Personal Information Protection and Electronic Documents Act governs personal information collected by Automated Vehicles for the purpose of mapping, training or other purposes in the course of operations. The collection and use of data (including personal information) associated with automated vehicle operations is governed through federal and provincial legislative frameworks, which the City does not have legislative authority to override.

This report has been developed in consultation with the Executive Director, Municipal Licensing and Standards, and the City Solicitor.