Not many things come cheap in Toronto, but there is one thing that has, until very recently, been a heck of a bargain: blocking streets for construction.
In 2022, for example, a utility contractor that wanted to close two lanes across 4.5 kilometres of Lake Shore Boulevard paid just $4,398.65 in fees to Toronto city hall’s transportation department for its month-long project.
From a real estate perspective, this was a spectacularly good deal for the exclusive use of land in our very expensive city.
But from city hall’s perspective, the deal was hilariously, hideously bad.
City hall finally found a way to help ease traffic congestion — and bring in more money. Not everyone is happy – Toronto Star, April 22, 2025
