November 17, 2025
Posted by SVRA
Correspondence to SVRA Members from Heather Sloman, Chair
We have received the following request:
I am Robert Zaichkowski; a long-time road safety advocate and author of the Two Wheeled Politics blog.
Since April, I have been working on a campaign to bring back open streets programs (e.g. OpenStreetsTO, ActiveTO) to Toronto by 2026 given no such events had been held since 2022. These events close streets to cars to allow for walking, cycling, and physical activity; something which originated with Bogota's Ciclovia in 1974 and has since expanded to cities around the world. Since I issued an initial call out on my blog, a petition has been launched which now has over 700 signatures while 33 organizations have also signed on (there are now in fact 800 signatures and 41 organizations). Some of the other signatories include the nearby Harbord Village and Palmerston Area Residents’ Associations, FoSTRA - which the Seaton Village Residents' Association (SVRA) is a member of - the Annex Residents' Association, Jane's Walk, Cycle Toronto, and the Toronto Public Space Committee.
Robert has asked whether the SVRA could support the campaign, as well as share the petition with their networks, given that past OpenStreetsTO events were held within SVRA's catchment area - including Bloor from Bathurst to Christie.
I have let Robert know that, in order for the SVRA to endorse the campaign we would have to have a discussion and a vote, which could not take place until December at this point. This will likely be too late, as this won’t be confirmed until the agenda is released on November 27.
He has told us that - depending on the outcome of any SVRA vote - organizations can be added to the letter after that IEC meeting given there would likely be a subsequent motion needed in the spring.
In the meantime, if people want to support Robert’s initiative as individuals, separate from the SVRA, you are invited to sign his petition.
All the best,
Heather, SVRA Chair
November 14, 2025
You can reach Robert Zaichkowski by email:
Robert Zaichkowski <robert.zaichkowski@yahoo.ca>
Here is the link for the petition https://tinyurl.com/OpenStreetsPetitionTO
Fill in your first name, last name, e-mail, and postal code on the right hand side. You can also put in a comment before clicking "Add Your Name", though that part is optional.
FYI on progress to date: Here is the petition At November 12:
Petition to Mayor Olivia Chow & Toronto City Council: Bring back open streets programs by 2026
Date: May 9, 2025 (updated with signatures as of November 12, 2025)
We, the undersigned, urge the City of Toronto to bring back open streets programs by 2026, as well as create a dedicated and permanent funding stream for programming and events.
Open streets programs such as OpenStreetsTO and ActiveTO helped promote and encourage healthier, more active lifestyles by making it safer and easier for people to walk, bike, and engage with their community. OpenStreetsTO closed parts of Bloor and Yonge Streets for two Sundays per year from 2014 to 2019 (and one Sunday in 2022), while ActiveTO major road closures such as on Lake Shore West played a critical role in bringing people together during the pandemic while practicing physical distancing.
Those who attended ActiveTO and OpenStreetsTO events were overwhelmingly supportive of them, as shown by the results below:
Over 100,000 people attended OpenStreetsTO in 2019 while 97% supported expanding the program per a Toronto Metropolitan University survey.1
62% of attendees reported being more active as a result of ActiveTO.2
93% of attendees supported continuing ActiveTO beyond the end of the COVID-19 pandemic.3
Despite such widespread support, ActiveTO was scrapped on Lake Shore West in June 20224 and while there was a promise to hold limited closures at the time, this was never done. As for OpenStreetsTO, that program didn’t run in 2023 or 2024, while it is very unlikely it will happen in 2025 either. Based on this, we are making the call to reinstate open streets for 2026.
With cities around the world from Bogota to New York City – and even nearby cities such as Hamilton5 – reclaiming urban spaces for parks, people, and cycling, Toronto needs to take bold steps to do the same. By reinstating open streets programs and providing dedicated funding for them, City Council will move Toronto in the right direction. These programs will help:
Generate increased spending for local businesses through increased foot traffic.
Make Toronto a cleaner and more pleasant place to live.
Promote active transportation and walking.
We acknowledge the City of Toronto's work in developing a Pedestrian Streets Policy & Guidelines6; something which ideally should be renamed "Active Streets Policy & Guidelines". We believe programs like OpenStreetsTO and ActiveTO should be included in that policy's seasonal street closure program and that active transportation advocates be invited to take part in the policy's stakeholder consultations. Finally, we support establishing timelines and a phased approach for permanent pedestrianization once areas have been identified and assessed.
In conclusion, we urge Mayor Chow & Toronto City Council to take the following actions to reinstate open streets programs by 2026:
Commit to a regular open streets schedule
Provide dedicated (and permanent) funding
Simplify permitting and logistics
Partner with community organizations and sponsors
Integrate open streets with city goals including via the Pedestrian Streets Policy & Guidelines
Sincerely yours,
8 80 Cities
ABC Residents Association
Annex Residents Association
Avenue Road Safety Coalition
Bay Cloverhill Community Association (BCCA)
Bicycle Mayor of Toronto
Bike Law Canada
Bloor East Neighbourhood Association (BENA)
Bloor West Village Residents Association (BWVRA)
Car-Free High Park
Church Wellesley Neighbourhood Association
ClimateFast
Community Bikeways (TCBC)
Cycle Toronto
Etobicoke Climate Action
Etobicoke South Cycling Committee
Federation of North Toronto Residents’ Associations (FoNTRA)
Federation of South Toronto Residents’ Associations (FoSTRA)
For Our Kids Toronto
Fridays For Future Toronto
Friends & Families for Safe Streets
Greenspiration
Harbord Village Residents Association
Jane’s Walk
More Neighbours Toronto
Palmerston Area Residents’ Association (PARA)
Parachute Canada
Parkdale High Park 4 Climate Action
Safe Parkside
Scarborough Environmental Association
StopGap Foundation
Strong Towns Toronto
TCAT (The Centre for Active Transportation at Clean Air Partnership)
The 519
The Laneway Project
Toronto Bicycling Network
Toronto East Cyclists
Toronto Public Space Committee
TTCriders
Walk Toronto
Yonge4All
1 https://fda0f689-1853-4206-8b48-8b33f960ec73.usrfiles.com/ugd/fda0f6_5fd4154b2e7c40f4ba974e061373ec70.pdf
2 https://tcat.ca/wp-content/uploads/2022/09/activeto_report.pdf
3 https://tcat.ca/wp-content/uploads/2021/03/ActiveTO-Major-Road-Closures-Evaluation-Report-2021.pdf
4 https://secure.toronto.ca/council/agenda-item.do?item=2022.IE30.19
5 https://www.hamilton.ca/home-neighbourhood/getting-around/biking-cyclists/open-streets-hamilton
6 https://secure.toronto.ca/council/agenda-item.do?item=2025.DI11.1