Toronto’s developers are furious over FIFA building restrictions
New city rules are pitting condo builders against soccer fans
Builders and developers in Toronto are crying foul over newly announced restrictions on construction during this summer’s FIFA World Cup games.
Last month, the city declared that vast swaths of Toronto would be off-limits to road work from May 1 to July 31 to keep streets clear, what with the deluge of soccer fans expected to descend on the city. These restricted zones would cover everything south of Bloor Street to the lake between Sherbourne and Landsdowne as well as Parkside Drive, Roncesvalles Avenue, and long stretches of Dufferin, Bathurst, Avenue, Broadview and Yonge north of Bloor.
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That’s got the city’s developers and builders in a tizzy. Construction sites for new condo towers often spill out into the street, and without that space, many projects could be put on hold. As many as 10,000 people could see their move-in dates delayed by two months thanks to the restrictions, developers told the CBC. Meanwhile, builders fear getting dinged by their clients for missing deadlines.
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For its part, the city says it’s open to working with developers to exempt projects on a case-by-case basis—a tall order considering the hundreds of projects affected.
A referee makes a call, the players go apoplectic and somehow it’s still all about condos. Welcome to FIFA in Toronto.
Anthony Milton is a freelance journalist based in Toronto specializing in long-form magazine writing. He previously worked as an assistant editor at Toronto Life, where he launched the Front Row newsletter. He regularly contributes all sorts of stories to the magazine, including deep dives on sports, business and housing as well as short-form commentary on our ever-changing city, from its obsession with cherry blossoms to its maddening NIMBYism. His work has also appeared in Maclean’s, Ricochet, TVO, the Trillium and more.
