Driverless vehicles on city streets before councillors knew rules
· Toronto Sun
After Toronto city councillors pushed back, the province arranged for more rules on driverless vehicles last year – but the city’s politicians were still kept in the dark until the machines were already on the streets, the Toronto Sun has learned.
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Emails between City Hall and the provincial Ministry of Transportation were recently provided to the Sun following a much delayed freedom-of-information request. Included in that package of documents was a letter from the ministry to auto manufacturer Magna International, which conducted a pilot project for four months in a central chunk of Toronto.
It appears that letter, which laid out a list of conditions of approval, was not initially shared with city councillors, to their apparent chagrin.
On May 8, CityNews published an article in which councillors – including Dianne Saxe and Gord Perks – complained they hadn’t been told the terms of Magna’s automated vehicle pilot, which fell under provincial jurisdiction. (Offices for the councillors said neither would be available for comment.)
The next day, Ashley Curtis, deputy general manager of Toronto’s transportation services division, asked the ministry in an email that councillors be allowed to see the letter.
On May 27, Felix Fung, an assistant deputy minister, said while “we do not have concerns” about councillors seeing either that letter or one he had sent to Curtis that month, “we are requesting these to be treated as confidential.”
That message only came after the pilot had begun, the city says, and those letters may not have done much to dispel any concerns about privacy. Magna’s machines were equipped with cameras, but the ministry’s letter had no specific language about photos or video footage.
“All data generated during testing must adhere to relevant federal and provincial privacy and data protection laws, and appropriate cybersecurity safeguards must be in place to ensure the integrity and confidentiality of the data,” said the letter, which bears Fung’s signature.
No ban on Bloor
There were also worries about safety. The conditions included a speed restriction of 32 km/h and a requirement that the machines be followed by a human supervisor in a “chase vehicle,” but those details were public ahead of the pilot.
The classified document describes further restrictions. The vehicles could not carry “dangerous goods” and the ministry was to be provided with regular “safety reports (and) testing updates” as well as data upon request.
The expectations on safety were largely general, with Magna told to follow the Highway Traffic Act.
“Operations should always be conducted in a manner that prioritizes the safety of all road users,” the letter said.
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It appears these conditions weren’t enough.
“Regarding the feedback received by the Ministry of Transportation from the City of Toronto on April 22, 2025, we would like to provide an update on the conditions proposed following our discussions with Magna,” Jerome Brideau, a team lead with the ministry, wrote to Jennifer Niece of transportation services on May 26.
Among other measures, Magna agreed to restrict the use of left turns, to not operate the vehicles on snow and to provide information about the pilot project, including a “privacy and collection notice,” that could be accessed on a QR code displayed on the machines.
However, the ministry refused to block off a busy stretch of Bloor St., nor would it ban afternoon rush-hour travel on the streets south of Bloor or on Bathurst and Dufferin Sts. north of it.
“Analysis has determined that these restrictions are not a viable option for delivery services, as it presents challenges and would make data collection difficult,” Brideau’s email said.
That information only came along the day the program started. In a statement, City Hall told the Sun the pilot began May 26 and ended Sept. 24. (It said while city officials did “review and provide input” on the project, further questions should be directed to Magna or the provincial government.)
Details ‘hopefully prior to’ road testing
Other emails show that Toronto Police had their own safety concerns.
“The first responder action plan that Magna submitted has a lot of language in it which is along the lines of ‘to be determined in consultation with the city (or) local police.’ We are working to flesh this out, hopefully prior to when they first go on road,” Niece, the manager of strategic policy and initiatives with transportation services, wrote to Brideau that same month.
“However,” she added, “I don’t think an agreement between the city and Magna will help answer the question we’re getting from Toronto Police about who would be charged if the AV was at fault in a collision with another road user, or charged if it violates another type of traffic law.”
Brideau replied: “MTO cannot offer a prediction of which outcomes are likely or which charges are suitable. Owner-based offences are likely to apply to driverless testing, but driver charges are not likely to be laid where there is no driver.”
City Hall expected the autonomous bots to draw controversy. In a March 2025 email to ministry representatives, Niece predicted “a lot of attention” due to safety concerns and “the slow movement of these AVs relative to the scrutiny the city has been under regarding congestion” and the painfully slow pace of traffic.
The Sun asked the Transportation Ministry about the timeline of events last May and whether communication with city councillors was adequate. The ministry provided a brief statement but did not directly address those questions.
The ministry “works closely with municipalities to ensure local feedback is considered throughout the process, as was the case with City of Toronto officials prior to granting approval to Magna International,” Dakota Brasier, director of media relations, wrote in an email.
Magna, in a statement from spokesman Dave Niemiec, said the Toronto pilot was “a valuable test bed for autonomous delivery technologies” that yielded “insights into safe low-speed navigation, real-time supervision and urban delivery logistics.”
“We appreciate the support and collaboration of the Ontario Ministry of Transportation, Transport Canada and other government partners throughout this pilot,” Niemiec added.