East Don Trail and Pedestrian Streets at City Council

Next week’s city council meeting has two member motions proposed which the cycling community ought to pay attention to. The first is a proposed land exchange at Donalda Club for a future expansion of the East Don Trail and the second seeks to create a pedestrian streets program for Toronto. Let’s dive in to see what they have to offer.

The original East Don Trail ends at Milne Hollow Park

East Don Trail

The original East Don Trail from Milne Hollow Park to Wynford Heights Crescent was completed back in October 2012.  Since then, the Toronto and Conservation Authority (TRCA) opened Phase 2 of the current East Don Trail project back in 2020 while Phase 1 has been substantially completed as of last month. A Phase 3 trail is expected to connect Phases 1 and 2 which is nearing completion of the feasibility and conceptual design phase (Stage A) and is expected to advance to detailed design (Stage B) later this year per an update I got from the TRCA. Still no update on when Phase 3 will start construction.

However, the Donalda Club golf course currently stands in the way between the original East Don Trail and the (still closed) Betty Sutherland Trail near York Mills and Don Mills. To address this gap, Councillors Jon Burnside and Paul Ainslie submitted Member Motion MM42.13  which would see a land exchange take place between the City of Toronto and Donalda Club in order to allow for an eventual extension of that trail in question. Donalda Club is currently leasing the lands until 2035 which the city would forego future leasing revenues while the city would gain ravine lands not used by the golf course.

The grey dotted line on this map shows the current trail gap between the Betty Sutherland Trail (pink) and the original East Don Trail (blue). Final alignment TBD. Phase 1 is marked in dark green, Phase 2 in light green, and the planned Phase 3 in grey.

Should this trail gap be built, it would bring us one step closer to completing the Loop Trail, though the Don Mills Crossing Bridge – which is still moving forward – is another way to address that gap. There would still be that on-road gap from the Don Mills Trail to the Betty Sutherland Trail.

Pedestrian Streets Program

To build momentum from last month’s approval of the Pedestrianizing Church Street Pilot (which kicked off yesterday), Councillors Josh Matlow and Chris Moise submitted Member Motion MM42.39  which would incorporate findings from that project to establish a pedestrian streets program for Summer 2027. The City of Toronto has already been working on a pedestrian streets policy since early 2025, while such a program would also help the city achieve their road safety and climate action goals, as well as boost business activity. The Church Street pilot could have an influence on whether Downtown Yonge Street or Kensington Market could get such a treatment beyond just Pedestrian Sundays for the latter.

Church Street during Pride Weekend in June 2025

While a pedestrian streets program is much needed in Toronto given the success other cities such as Montréal and New York City have had with their pedestrianization initiatives, this motion provides an opportunity to call for the reinstatement of open streets. Open streets programs temporarily close streets to motor vehicles to allow for walking, cycling, and physical activity which Toronto hasn’t held since 2022 despite OpenStreetsTO seeing as many as 100,000 visitors in 2019 and ActiveTO on Lake Shore West being very popular during the pandemic. If Toronto is to bring back this program, it needs three things to make it successful over the long term. These include dedicated and permanent city funding, increased frequency with a goal of every Sunday (10 AM – 4 PM) from Victoria Day to Labour Day, and a significantly longer route. Past OpenStreetsTO events were held only two Sundays annually on Bloor from Christie to Parliament and Yonge from Bloor to Queen, while they relied on external partners for funding.

TORONTO SUMMER STREETS 2027 Should be 2026 but World Cup + election panic... Candidates: commit to 2027, city funded. • A PROGRAM, NOT 1-2 day event: EVERY Sunday. • All Ages & Abilities & Backgrounds connecting as ONE CITY. • Making easier to LIVE Healthier & Happier.

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— Gil Penalosa (@penalosag.bsky.social) May 24, 2026 at 9:41 AM

Since the pedestrian streets policy aimed to look at both permanent and temporary / seasonal road closures for pedestrian use, open streets would likely fall within scope of this plan. To further build support for the motion, Councillor Josh Matlow has a petition on his website.

Take Action

With the next City Council meeting starting on Wednesday, June 24, I encourage you to please e-mail councilmeeting@toronto.ca, as well as copy Mayor Olivia Chow (mayor_chow@toronto.ca) and your city councillor to show your support for either (or both) of these motions. Be sure to reference the motion number – MM42.13 for the East Don Trail matter or MM42.39 for the Pedestrian Streets Program – and encourage your friends, family, and colleagues to do the same.