Toronto drivers to face stiffer traffic fines

City also considers expanding in-house garbage collection

Thirty-six dangerous traffic violations, including blocking a bike lane or pedestrian crossing, will come with a higher fine starting Aug. 1, city council voted Wednesday evening.

However, the fines for 89 “nonsafety” infractions will be lower than what was proposed by staff. Failing to pay for parking or overstaying time, for example, will go from $30 to $50 rather than $75.

“We needed to go with more of a Goldilocks approach, because we had some bears who thought the fines were too high, some bears who thought the fines were too low,” said Coun. Jennifer McKelvie (Scarborough—Rouge Park) who led the charge on the motion, which was deferred from council’s last session to find a compromise.

The version council approved with an overwhelming majority is “just right,” she said.

The fine for blocking a bike lane will jump from $150 to $200, while the fine for stopping in a pedestrian crosswalk will increase from $60 to $200.

The fine for stopping in a prohibited lane during rush hour will increase from $150 to $190 — higher than the staff recommendation of $175. Council voted in support of Coun. Josh Matlow’s (Toronto—St. Paul’s) motion for staff to report back in the fall on increasing that fine even further, as the city faces nightmare levels of traffic congestion.

In 2019, the city issued more than 67,000 tickets during rush hour; in 2023 it was around 74,600.

Coun. Jon Burnside (Don Valley East) questioned whether most people are even aware of how much traffic violation fines are, and whether increasing the fines without a change in enforcement will be effective.

The city is planning to run an education campaign to inform drivers of the higher fines, and is moving toward increased automated enforcement, staff said.

In a separate vote, council asked the city to look into bringing garbage collection in one quadrant of the city in-house, despite city staff recommending against the idea.

Collection in so-called District 2, west of Yonge Street and east of the Humber River, is currently contracted out to Green For Life Environmental under a deal that expires in August 2026.

Mayor Olivia Chow introduced a motion asking staff to explore what would be required for city crews to start collecting waste in that part of the city once the contract is up.

Chow said that she’s not committed to the proposal, but “we should always consider all the choices in front of us.”

“I just want the best services, the most cost-effective services for our residents,” she said.

Her motion passed 24 to 2. However, in a report before council, staff said they had already conducted a “thorough analysis” that determined the city taking over the program was “not feasible.”

That’s because it would take more than five years to secure the trucks and yards required for the work, which would put the city far past the August 2026 deadline.

Staff concluded that continuing privatized collection in District 2 by issuing a new contract when the existing one expires was the “only scenario that can be achieved within the time constraints.”

We needed to go with more of a Goldilocks approach, because we had some bears who thought the fines were too high, some bears who thought the fines were too low.

COUN. JENNIFER MCKELVIE