Mayoral hopeful Brad Bradford calls out Olivia Chow over road repair schedule

Says weekend closure of Don Valley Pkwy. altered travel plans for thousands of families across city

Published May 09, 2026  •  Last updated 26 minutes ago  •  3 minute read

Beaches–East York councillor and Toronto mayoral hopeful Brad Bradford takes issue with regular road closures. Photo by Handout /Brad Bradford

Warmer spring temperatures in Toronto means road repairs have shifted into a higher gear.

Article content

But Toronto’s full weekend closure of the Don Valley Parkway to fix potholes, repave asphalt and other regular maintenance has turned into a traffic nightmare for families who have plans across the city, Beaches–East York Councillor Brad Bradford says.

Article content

Article content

Overhaul road repair schedule

The mayoral hopeful wants the current mayor, Olivia Chow, to overhaul the city’s roadway repairs schedule that has already seen the weekend closure of the Gardiner Expressway from the Humber River to Spadina Ave. in late April.

“The DVP shutting down from Highway 401 to the Gardiner from Friday night until Monday morning is going to throw a wrench in the weekends of thousands of Toronto families on Mother’s Day weekend,” Bradford said in a statement.

“Critical maintenance is one thing, but scheduling a full closure of one of this city’s busiest highways over an entire weekend shows just how out of touch this administration is with the people who actually drive cars. Torontonians have places to be, and a mayor who was paying attention would know that. Mayor Chow should stop making people pay for your failure to plan.”

Article content

Article content

The Gardiner Expressway was shut down for maintenance on Saturday, April 26, and Sunday, April 27. And this weekend the Don Valley Parkway will be shut down. Photo by Supplied /City of Toronto

Bradford said the closure will affect 193,000 people trying to get to major events including the Blue Jays series against the Los Angeles Angels, a Toronto FC match against Inter Miami, a WNBA Tempo game and the Sporting Life 10K run.

He said a better weekend for the DVP’s repairs would have been next weekend when the Blue Jays, TFC and Temp are all out of town.

City update on congestion plan

In late March, Chow, Councillor Paula Fletcher, and newly appointed Chief Congestion Officer Andrew Posluns outlined the progress made to the city’s congestion management plan over the past year.

They said construction-related road closures were reduced on average by 2.4 days and more than 100 traffic agents are stationed at key intersections to improve vehicle flow and prevent gridlock.

“Toronto continues to grow, and we are taking a co-ordinated, city-wide approach to keep people moving,” Chow said in a statement at the time.

“By bringing construction, transit, and traffic management together, we are reducing disruptions, improving reliability, and delivering faster, more predictable trips across the city.”

Article content

Last weekend, the Mayor appeared at a World Cup event to launch the city’s second annual Keep Toronto Beautiful campaign, which includes repairing potholes on roads and bike lanes and sweeping streets ahead of next month’s soccer tournament.

Closures causing congestion

However, Bradford said past road and lane closures have had a negative effect on traffic despite the improvements, causing congestion and frustrating residents who want to get around the city in a timely manner.

He issued a top 10 “Traffic From Hell” list of previous disruptions causing traffic congestion.

Besides the weekend highway closures, the list also included the DVP’s Richmond St. off-ramp closure from Oct. 15, 2025, until spring 2026 for “critical repairs,” lane reductions on the Gardiner from Dufferin St. to Strachan Ave. to rehabilitate the expressway, Ontario Line subway construction disruptions around Queen St. E., Moss Park, and Corktown, Yonge St.’s redesign that narrowed the roadway, Bloor St. bike lanes extending into Etobicoke, the Esplanade bikeway construction, and gridlock along King St.

“Torontonians are tired of congestion, crime and the high cost of living,” Bradford said. “Mayor Chow – for a change, give us a top 10 list we can actually be proud of.”

Read More

1. 

   WARMINGTON: War on cars means gridlock for Blue Jays, TFC, visiting Lionel Messi fans

2. 

   LILLEY: Olivia Chow’s attacks show she’s worried about mayoral rival Brad Bradford

Article content