FYI just got this reply 30 minutes later;
These closures started in 2021 and in May 2021 TEYCC asked for Report on PERMANENT closure:
1. Requested the General Manager, Transportation Services, to consult with the Manager, St Lawrence Market Complex, Corporate Services, St. Lawrence Market Neighbourhood Business Improvement Area, the St. Lawrence Neighbourhood Association, and other City divisions and stakeholders as identified about the temporary closure of Market Street, between Front Street East and The Esplanade this year, and if required, to report back to the June 24, 2021 meeting of Toronto and East York Community Council to implement this temporary closure.
2. Requested the General Manager, Transportation Services, to consult with the Manager, St Lawrence Market Complex, Corporate Services, St. Lawrence Market Neighbourhood Business Improvement Area, the St. Lawrence Neighbourhood Association, and other City divisions and stakeholders as identified about the permanent closure of Market Street, between Front Street East and The Esplanade, and to report back to the November 24, 2021 meeting of Toronto and East York Community Council with recommendations regarding closing this section of Market Street permanently.
No Reports were presented but in 2021 the street was closed for several weekends. The results (presented in 2022) are interesting:
https://www.toronto.ca/legdocs/mmis/2022/te/bgrd/backgroundfile-224683.pdf
"In 2021, Market Street was temporarily closed for two (2) consecutive weekends in August as part of a pilot project. An on-line survey was conducted to gauge the success of the closure which resulted in 2,200 responses. Key takeaways included; 92% of responses agreed they would visit Market Street more often if it were pedestrianized 84% of the survey responses were from the St. Lawrence Market Neighbourhood or within 5km of Market Street 29% visit St. Lawrence Market daily, while 46% visit weekly 94% of responses support a full summer closure for 2022 Given the findings of the survey which resulted in a strong interest to pedestrianize Market Street, The St. Lawrence Neighbourhood BIA, local councillor and St. Lawrence Market Residents Association has formed a new working group committee to support the temporary closure of Market Street for the summer months." There was no mention of the 'permanent closure'.
In February 2023, TEYCC again asked Transportation for a Report on the permanent closure of the street. Another temporary closure was approved in summers 2024 and 2025. The Report about the 2025 temporary closure describes the 'history', but (conveniently, does not note that Staff were (twice) asked for Reports on permanent closure!
I will also write to TEYCC and urge other UTers to do so too.
teycc@toronto.ca Five years of dithering is enough! If Transportation have problems with permanent closure let's hear their reasons! Permanent closure would allow the City or the BIA buy more or better street furniture and with the new Green P parking in the North Market (plus the huge and quite underused Green P at the bottom of Market Street) it had better not include 'loss of parking'!
