2023 Budget: Electric Vehicle Charging Update

One of the most consistent concerns I hear from residents who want to switch to an electric vehicle (EV) is the lack of charging infrastructure on residential streets. Transportation currently only installs them on hydro poles that are immediately adjacent to the roadway. This excludes large portions of the residential streets in Toronto-Danforth where the poles are between the sidewalk and the houses. My motion increases funding in the city's 2023 budget for 'pedestal' chargers, which allow for EV charging to be expanded onto more residential streets with permit parking.

More information about the next round of EV charging locations is coming soon.

This will be funded by a two-dollar increase to the permit parking fees. For years the fees that residents pay for permit parking have gone to support transportation projects across the city, despite permit parking being almost exclusively in the boundaries of the old municipalities of Toronto and East York. This minor increase will be directed only to streets that have permit parking, allowing residents without a driveway or garage to have access to EV charging in a convenient location.

Learn more about the 2023 city budget here.