Item - 2026.TE34.143

The Toronto and East York Community Council: 

1. Authorized the temporary traffic and parking regulations on streets in the vicinity of Distillery District that are impacted during the Distillery Winter Village, identified in Attachment 1 to the report (June 19, 2026) from the Director, Congestion and Network Management, Transportation Services; the temporary traffic and parking regulations will override all existing regulations for the duration of this event (November 12, 2026 to January 3, 2027).

2. Directed the Director, Permits and Enforcement, Transportation Services to communicate these temporary parking and traffic regulations outlined in Part 1 above to residents through a targeted information campaign throughout the duration of the Distillery Winter Village.

This staff report concerns a matter for which the Community Council has delegated authority from City Council to make a final decision.

The purpose of this report is to seek Toronto and East York Community Council's authority to enact temporary traffic and parking amendments to enhance traffic operations for patrons accessing the event, to help the local community with their parking needs, and to enhance pedestrian safety by minimizing traffic infiltration on local roads during the 2026 Distillery Winter Village event, which will take place from November 12, 2026 to January 3, 2027, inclusive.

Drawing on lessons learned from previous Distillery Winter Village events, as well as input from the event organizer and their consultant, the local councillor, local residents, and Transportation Services staff, the event organizer and their consultant submitted a traffic management plan to minimize impacts of increased event-related traffic on the surrounding community. Strategies in the traffic management plan are intended to manage traffic infiltration into local neighbourhood streets, reduce circulation by non-local vehicles, and prioritize access for residents. The proposed approach reflects established practices used in prior years and is designed to support safe and efficient movement while limiting disruption to the local area.

To implement these measures, Transportation Services is recommending a series of temporary by-law amendments, as outlined in Attachments 1 and 2. A companion report, "Temporary Adjustments to Traffic and Parking Regulations for 2026 Distillery Winter Village (Non-Delegated)", outlining the required temporary traffic and parking amendments for locations with TTC service was submitted to Community and City Council for consideration in parallel with this report.

Further details on broader traffic and congestion management strategies to be implemented by Transportation Services are also provided in this report.