As Toronto prepares for thousands to visit during the upcoming FIFA World Cup, residents in the downtown neighbourhoods nearest the venue have questions about how the games will impact them.
At a community information session Tuesday, Liberty Village and Fort York residents asked dozens of questions about road closures, cleanliness, safety and security, traffic congestion, parking, TTC service changes, and cultural events. Liberty Village and Fort York are near Toronto Stadium, the temporary name that has been given to BMO Field while the city hosts the games.
Jennifer Poon, a volunteer executive member of Fort York Neighbourhood Association, is among those with questions.
“We do have some concerns about certainly litter and how that will be handled with the high volume of visitors that will be coming to the area,” Poon said.
“Certainly transit impacts are something that we’re also thinking about and safety considerations. We want to make sure that everyone who visits and lives here is safe and secure for the duration of the games.”
But she said while there is trepidation, there’s excitement as well.
“I think overall, we’re excited to have this really big event showcase our neighborhood and take place right in our backyard. It’s a really great opportunity for the entire neighborhood, residents and businesses and visitors alike.”
City councillor and Deputy Mayor Ausma Malik says city staff are ‘working at full speed to get our World Cup preparations set for the games.’ (Mike Smee/CBC)
Coun. Ausma Malik, who represents Spadina-Fort York, Ward 10, said planning is underway to ensure the event is a positive experience.
“As the local councillor for our communities, I know the impact of the games will be most felt in our neighbourhoods.”
Malik said she pushed for the creation of a World Cup neighbourhood planning table last year to ensure residents have information, can enjoy the games and are able to get around safely during the event.
The planning table has been focused on transportation, event management and public engagement, Malik said.
Businesses have learned from Blue Jays games, BIA says
Jesse Topliffe, chair of the CityPlace Fort York BIA, said Tuesday that the Blue Jays World Series run provided lessons for businesses in the ward.
“Some of the learnings would be: you need more staff than you think; you need more product than you think; if you have scheduled a vacation during that time, you might want to reconsider,” Topliffe said.
“And certainly, traffic and transit become a bit trickier with that volume,” he said.
Topliffe said he’s “really looking forward to seeing what the city is going to do about that and what they learned from the opportunities that presented themselves during the Blue Jays series.”
Seats in Toronto Stadium, as BMO Field has been renamed temporarily, are shown here. (Evan Mitsui/CBC)City to take steps to reduce congestion
At the information session, Sharon Bollenbach, spokesperson for the FIFA World Cup 2026 Toronto Secretariat, said the city’s theme for the games is The World in the City and there will be a FIFA Fan Festival at The Bentway in Toronto for 22 days from June 11 to July 19.
“We want the city to come alive during this event,” Bollenbach said.
Mike Barnet, spokesperson for the city’s transportation services, said the city will take steps to reduce congestion by encouraging fans and visitors to take transit, walk or cycle to the games and it will let people know that there will be limited parking in the area.
Residents and businesses will be encouraged to shift travel times and work from home to reduce trips, he said.
Barnet said residents will be eligible to receive a “local access permit” to enable easy access to Liberty Village and Fort York. There will be closures on Lake Shore Boulevard, Strachan Avenue, Dufferin Street and Fleet Street during the tournament, he said.
Sho Kalache, spokesperson for the TTC, said there will be increased service on 511 Bathurst, 509 Harbourfront and 504 King streetcars during the games. But there will be local TTC service impacts on game days, including stop removals, Kalache said.
All six FIFA World Cup games to be hosted by Toronto will be held at Toronto Stadium, the temporary name that has been given to BMO Field while the city hosts the games. (Sammy Kogan/The Canadian Press)
On June 12, Canada will play a men’s FIFA World Cup match in Toronto, facing the European Playoff A winner (Italy, Northern Ireland, Wales and Bosnia and Herzegovina) on June 12.
Toronto will host Ghana versus Panama on June 17, Germany versus Côte d’Ivoire on June 20, Panama versus Croatia on June 23, and Senegal versus a playoff winner, Iraq, Bolivia or Suriname, on June 26.
On July 2, there will be a knockout stage game held in Toronto in the Round of 32.