City Council on June 25 and 26, 2025, adopted the following:
1. City Council direct the General Manager, Transportation Services to report back to the Infrastructure and Environment Committee no later than the fourth quarter of 2026 on the findings from Magna's pilot, and lessons learned for the City regarding operation of automated vehicles in Toronto and specifically their use for delivery of goods.
2. City Council direct the City Manager to request the advice of the Office of the Privacy Commissioner of Canada on whether it is acceptable and consistent with federal privacy legislation for a for-profit corporation to record the faces of individuals on a public street, without their knowledge or consent, or the consent of the City, and to send those images to the United States for collection, use and storage for their own benefit, and report back on the results of this request at the September 26, 2025, meeting of the Infrastructure and Environment Committee.
3. City Council direct the City Manager to request the advice of the Ontario Information and Privacy Commissioner on whether it is acceptable and consistent with Ontario privacy legislation for a for-profit corporation to record the faces of individuals on a public street, without their knowledge or consent, or the consent of the City, and to send those images to the United States for collection, use and storage for their own benefit, and report back on the results of this request at the September 26, 2025, meeting of the Infrastructure and Environment Committee.
4. City Council delete the following instructions to staff issued by the Infrastructure and Environment Committee at its meeting on June 11, 2025:
The Infrastructure and Environment Committee:
1. Requested the City Manager to report to the September 26, 2025 meeting of the Infrastructure and Environment Committee with answers to the following questions with respect to Automated Vehicle Pilot Deployment in Toronto Under the Highway Traffic Act:
a. What type of data is being collected;
b. Who has access to this data;
c. Where is this data being stored;
d. Can or will this data cross the border into the United States;
e. Can Magna entities within the United States view the data;
f. Would Magna entities be required to provide data to United States or Canadian law enforcement if requested;
g. Will facial recognition data be shared with law enforcement;
h. Can future agreements change the nature of how the data is collected, stored, transmitted, and used;
i. Are there any mechanisms for individuals, including those who cannot provide consent, such as children, to opt-out or request that their records be deleted;
j. Are there ways to ensure that data can be destroyed if no consent was given;
k. Can the terms and conditions of data management be changed, and if so, by whom; and,
l. Does the City’s Digital Infrastructure Strategic Framework govern the collection and use of this data and if not, what can the City do when third parties want to harvest data in the public realm.
5. City Council direct the City Manager to write to the Premier of Ontario and the Minister of Transportation of Ontario to object to the privacy, safety and congestion risks created by the secret permit their government has granted allowing autonomous vehicles to operate on the streets of Toronto without the consent of the City and without appropriate privacy, safety and congestion precautions; and to request answers to privacy and data management questions and report back on the results of this request at the September 26, 2025, meeting of Infrastructure and Environment Committee; specific privacy and data management questions to include:
a. what type of data is being collected;
b. who has access to this data;
c. where is this data being stored, for how long and for what purpose;
d. can or will this data cross the border into the United States and will it be encrypted in transit and at rest;
e. can Magna entities within the United States view the data;
f. would Magna entities be required to provide data to US or Canadian law enforcement if requested;
g. will facial recognition data be shared with law enforcement;
h. can future agreements change the nature of how the data is collected, stored, transmitted, and used; and are there governance controls in place to monitor this;
i. are there any mechanisms for individuals, including those who cannot provide consent, such as children, to opt-out or request that their records be deleted;
j. are there ways to ensure that data can be destroyed if no consent was given; and
k. can the terms and conditions of data management be changed, and if so, by whom.
6. City Council direct the City Manager to report to the September 26, 2025 meeting of the Infrastructure and Environment Committee on the City of Toronto’s ability to govern the collection and use of data collected by the Magna Automated Vehicle Pilot.
7. City Council direct that Confidential Attachments 1, 2, 3 and 4 to the supplementary report (May 28, 2025) from the General Manager, Transportation Services remain confidential in their entirety, as they contain information provided in Confidence by the Province of Ontario.
Confidential Attachments 1, 2, 3 and 4 to the supplementary report (May 28, 2025) from the General Manager, Transportation Services remain confidential in their entirety in accordance with the provisions of the City of Toronto Act, 2006, as they contain information provided in confidence by the Province of Ontario.
The Ministry of Transportation Ontario has notified Magna International Inc. that their application into Ontario’s Automated Vehicle Pilot Program has been approved, allowing Magna to conduct testing of automated last-mile delivery vehicles on Toronto's streets. This pilot is governed by Ontario Regulation 306/15 under the Highway Traffic Act. The City of Toronto has no regulatory authority over this pilot, however Ministry of Transportation Ontario invited City staff to review Magna's application materials and discuss details with their team. At Ministry of Transportation Ontario's request, City staff submitted comments to help inform Ministry of Transportation Ontario’s decision-making regarding Magna's pilot license application. Staff comments did not offer an opinion on the capability of this vehicle's automated navigation but focused on operational-side measures to enhance safety and ensure the City’s opportunity to learn from the pilot.
Magna's pilot will deploy driverless, three-wheeled automated vehicles to deliver small packages in an area including all of Ward 9 and portions of each of Wards 4, 5, 11 and 12. Each vehicle will have constant human oversight from a 'chase vehicle' with a supervisor capable of immediate intervention, as well as a remote human operator who can assume control during complex scenarios. Important safety measures include maximum speed of 32 kilometres per hour, travelling only on roads with a posted limit of 40 kilometres per hour or less, no use of left turns, and adherence to internationally recognized cybersecurity and privacy standards. Magna's pilot will begin in the second quarter of 2025 with a small number of vehicles operating on the city’s streets; further Ministry of Transportation Ontario approval will be required prior to allowing more vehicles. Magna envisions up to 20 vehicles during this pilot.
Automated vehicle deployments for ridesharing, taxi services, deliveries, and long-haul trucking have steadily increased, predominantly in United States' states such as California, Arizona, Florida and other locations that experience less snow and rain than Ontario. This Magna pilot represents an opportunity for the Province, the operator and the City to gain insights into automated vehicle technology and operations within Toronto's unique urban environment.