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The new year will be bringing with it Toronto’s first traffic czar.
In an internal memo obtained by CBC Toronto, the city’s deputy manager of infrastructure services said Andrew Posluns will take on the role of chief congestion officer and executive director of strategic capital coordination, beginning Jan. 5.
“He will shape the policies, partnerships, and technologies that will define Toronto’s traffic future,” Will Johnston said.
The move comes as the city has faced consistent congestion challenges, including bumper-to-bumper traffic, a return to work mandate and the FIFA World Cup 2026.
In a CBC Toronto three-part series earlier this year, a December 2024 Canadian Centre for Economic Analysis study found gridlock costs the Greater Toronto and Hamilton Area (GTHA) $44.7 billion a year in economic and social value.
In July, the city’s infrastructure and environment committee approved a plan to hire for the position. The plan went to council for final approval later that month, after which Johnston says a “comprehensive recruitment process” took place.
WATCH | Why congestion is so bad, and the solutions needed to make it better:
Toronto has a congestion crisis. Here’s 5 things that could fix it
Part 2 of CBC Toronto’s three-part series, Gridlocked: The Way Out, explains why congestion is so bad in Toronto and how experts say implementing a combination of several solutions in tandem could make things better.
Posluns’s top priorities will be to oversee the city’s congestion management plan, provide leadership to improve construction project coordination and to lead the development and implementation of the transportation plan for the imminent soccer tournament, Johnston told CBC Toronto in a statement Tuesday.
A spokesperson for Mayor Olivia Chow said Chow is “confident” Posluns is up to the task.
“It’s a critical new role to help Toronto get moving and especially important as we expect hundreds of thousands of visitors during the FIFA World Cup next year,” Braman Thillainathan said in a statement to CBC Toronto.
Coun. Brad Bradford (Beaches-East York) said it’s “unfortunate” it’s taken so long to address this pressing issue.
“I hear from a lot of frustrated drivers that will tell me it doesn’t seem like the mayor cares about traffic or congestion,” he told CBC Toronto Tuesday. “When it takes eight months to hire a key position like this, I can kind of understand why they feel that way.”
It’s a good sign the new traffic czar hasn’t worked with the city before, Bradford said.
“It makes sense to go outside the organization to try to identify that talented expertise,” he said. “Frankly, the frustration, the issues, the challenges that we’re facing right now haven’t been adequately addressed with the resources and the personnel that are in the positions right now.”
Bradford added it’s also great that there will now be someone in charge of coordinating construction and improvement projects.
“I’m hopeful that this traffic czar will be the person who is triaging all the different work that needs to take place in the city,” he said “And, for the first time, doing it in a thoughtful manner so that we’re not tying up every parallel route simultaneously and slowing people down.”
According to the internal memo, Andrew Posluns has over 25 years of experience in progressive public sector leadership. (Supplied by the City of Toronto)
Coun. Josh Matlow (Toronto-St. Paul’s) said one hire isn’t the answer to Toronto’s congestion issues.
“You’re going to hear some people take credit for hiring Mr. Posluns. You’re going to hear other people take credit for forcing the mayor’s hand to do so,” he said. “The reality is Torontonians don’t really care about credit until they see results because right now they’re stuck in traffic.”
Despite this, Matlow said he’s hopeful Posluns will be of help during the FIFA World Cup, especially to make sure the already existing gridlock doesn’t become an “international embarrassment.”
“I want to make sure that Toronto is ready for this major international tournament, both for visitors, but also to ensure that Torontonians can functionally and safely get around their own city,” he said.
In a statement to CBC Toronto, a Toronto Region Board of Trade spokesperson said for congestion to improve, the city must ensure the position operates differently from traditional bureaucracy.
“We advocated for the creation of the role and are glad to see it filled,” the board’s Jeff Lang‑Weir said. “We urge that the Commissioner operate ambitiously and above silos so decisions can be made and enforced across the system.”
According to the internal memo, Posluns has over 25 years of experience in progressive public sector leadership.
Posluns has worked as the senior director of corporate planning, policy and research at the Canada Infrastructure Bank since 2020. Previously, he held senior roles at the Ontario Ministry of Transportation from 2009 to 2015, where he led the implementation of the transportation plan for the 2015 Toronto Pan Am and Parapan Am Games.
The $61-million transportation plan included a 1,500-kilometre route linking venues, airports and the athletes’ village. It also included roughly 185 kilometres of new, temporary high-occupancy lanes on major highways and thoroughfares in the GTA.
The Pan Am and Parapan Am plan also saw ticket holders get free transit admission on the day of their ticketed event on GO Transit, the TTC and 12 other regional transit systems.
Posluns also held senior leadership roles at Metrolinx from 2016 to 2020, where he oversaw the GO Expansion strategy across the GTHA.