City council abruptly dissolved the Toronto Parking Authority board
Some councillors disagree with the sudden move, which Mayor Olivia Chow says will save money
In an unexpected twist at last week’s city council meeting, Mayor Olivia Chow requested to axe the Toronto Parking Authority board, which consists of two city councillors and five public members. City council granted the request with a 15–4 vote.
Instead of the board, the city will implement a governance review of the TPA with the purpose of identifying room to cut costs, according to the Toronto Star. Chow said it was urgent enough to justify expediting the standard committee process with a member motion.
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City councillors are in disagreement over the development. Per the Star, councillor Stephen Holyday called Chow’s request “one of the most strange, bizarre things I’ve seen here in a very long time.”
But Chow reiterated that council must balance the 2026 city budget, which faces an initial gap of $1 billion, and that the city will lose tens of millions of dollars in speed camera ticket revenue after Premier Doug Ford’s recent ban.
“There are millions of dollars at stake,” continued Holyday. “[Chow’s plan] doesn’t all add up.”
Councillor Frances Nunziata, who was on the TPA board, supported Chow. “There’s nothing underhanded here,” she said.
The Star’s report noted that the TPA will generate a reported $45.5 million this year.
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Carly Lewis is a journalist whose work has appeared in the New York Times and the New York Times Magazine, Vanity Fair, Wired, Interview Magazine, Pitchfork, Elle, and Maclean’s, where she is a contributing editor. Her work has been recognized by the National Magazine Awards and the Digital Publishing Awards. She reports on city life, culture—including what people do online—politics, art and crime. She received the Dave Greber Freelance Writers Award for “The Murder of Ashley Wadsworth,” an investigative feature about a Canadian teenager who was killed by a man she met on social media, published by Maclean’s.
