The Ossington strip could be in line for a makeover, and the City of Toronto is seeking local input before any improvements move forward.

On Jan 27, the City is hosting an in-person public drop-in event for the Ossington Avenue Safety and Streetscape Improvements project, covering Ossington from Dundas St W to Queen St W. The proposal bundles road safety, parking changes and public-realm upgrades, with the goal of making the corridor feel safer and more comfortable for pedestrians, cyclists, transit riders and drivers alike.

At the core of the plan, the City is proposing removing peak-hour parking restrictions to allow full-time parking in the curb lanes. The street would still keep one vehicle travel lane in each direction, but add dedicated turn lanes at Dundas and Queen.

The City says travel lanes will be widened to meet standards and reduce issues like improper passing and sideswiping, while also giving people cycling and larger vehicles (like buses and emergency vehicles) more breathing room.

The plan also focuses on the streetscape, like corner curb extensions, widened sidewalks in sections, and new parkette-style spaces with planting and seating (as well as more bike parking and a proposed Bike Share station).

If you’re bracing for a parking bloodbath, the City is framing it differently: The proposal includes 14 new Green P on-street spaces on Ossington, bringing the total to 100 spaces (up from 86) when CaféTO isn’t operating. The existing commercial loading zone would remain, and curb lanes would still be expected to accommodate CaféTO patios, although some patios may need tweaks to meet operating standards.

On the residential side, locals can expect 20 new permit parking spaces across Zones 3K and 4H, the removal of two permit spaces on Foxley Street (south side at Ossington) to allow a curb extension by the existing parkette, and nine new permit spaces on Halton St by permanently moving permit parking to the north side (the City says this would provide 26 spaces year-round, compared to 17 on the south side).

One detail that matters for anyone who’s watched Toronto projects crawl along for years: The City is splitting the work into two segments, with different build approaches:

• Segment 1 (Dundas to Argyle): Road realignment and streetscape improvements using permanent materials.
• Segment 2 (Argyle to Queen): Road realignment and streetscape improvements using paint and quick-build materials.

Following public consultation, detailed design work is expected to begin at some point this year, with construction of both segments anticipated to begin in 2029-2030.

The Public Drop-In Event takes place Jan 27, 2026, from 6:30-8:30 pm at 30 Humbert St (in the gym). Visit toronto.ca/Ossington to view the project materials and complete the City’s survey by Feb 10, 2026.