Upcoming streetcar track work on Queen Street East in Leslieville has local businesses ‘devastated’ as holiday season begins

BY MATTHEW STEPHENS

Business owners on Queen Street East in Leslieville are disappointed and concerned after finding out TTC streetcar track replacement and sewer rehabilitation work planned for early next year will now begin next week.

“We’re already on hard times now. These are small businesses run by one or two people, and there’s no way they’re going to make it through this,” said Judy Clarke, owner of the East End Garden Centre at 1395 Queen St. E., near Greenwood Avenue.

Beginning this Monday, Nov. 9, the TTC will start work on renewing aging streetcar tracks between Leslie and Laing streets. Then, sewer rehabilitation work will following shortly after, expected to start in January 2027.

According to an email from the city’s media relations team, the most urgent track work has been accelerated for completion by mid-December and will pause over the busiest part of the holiday season.

But for many local businesses operating in the neighbourhood where the track work is being carried out, the holiday season serves as a critical time for their annual incomes and any interruption of customer access will have a severe impact on them.

“There’s about 23 stores along this strip of Queen Street East, and they’re all going to be devastated,” said Clarke. “The owner of the jewelry store at the corner here relies on the holiday months to carry her through. If she doesn’t have that, she’s not going to make it.”

Each year during the holidays, Clarke sells thousands of Christmas trees to local residents. But when construction begins early next week and on-street parking is halted, she fears that many people will be deterred from visiting the garden centre altogether.

“The city has put these pylons along the street and now there’s no parking. The problem is that they’re going to be taking Christmas business away from us at a time when we need it the most,” said Clarke.

With limited access to the garden centre when construction begins, Clarke said the city has advised her to store an estimated 7,000 Christmas trees on a portion of the road that will be left open to her.

“I have trailers coming in next week, right when they start,” said Clarke. “They’re leaving this open and they want me to put all my 7,000 trees right here. I can’t do that – it’s impossible.”

She said she had been assured by the city and TTC that work would not start until January, after the crucial holiday season.

In an email she received back in early October, Nilgun Erkoc, Manager of Strategic Support & Issues Management for Engineering and Construction Services said that the work had been confirmed for deferral until January 2027.

“As discussed, I’m following up in writing to confirm that the TTC Track Replacement and Sewer Rehabilitation work that is planned for Queen Street East has been deferred until January 2027. An official notification regarding the deferral will be prepared and distributed next week,” reads Erkoc’s email to Clarke from Oct. 9, 2026.

However, several weeks later and with “less than 12 hours of notice,” Clarke said the city announced that construction would commence on Nov. 9.

“Sneaking a highly disruptive, 24/7 construction project through with less than 12 hours of notice during a political vacuum – specifically, right after the Oct. 26 municipal election while the new council is waiting to be sworn in – is a classic institutional tactic to minimize accountability,” read Clarke’s email response to the news of the change in construction dates.

The 2026-2030 term of the newly elected Toronto City Council begins later this month.

In an email statement to Beach Metro Community News, the city’s media relations team confirmed that the city had “previously advised businesses that construction would be deferred until the new year,” but after further consideration deemed the project an urgent matter that “could not safely wait.”

“As the City and TTC worked through arrangements for the deferral, further review identified urgent track work that could not safely wait, including broken rails and collapsed track drains,” said the city’s statement. “Further delay would increase the risk of infrastructure failure and emergency repairs, potentially causing greater disruption for businesses, residents and transit riders.”

The statement said the city and TTC have met with the Leslieville BIA in recent weeks about minimizing the impacts of the track and sewer work.

“We will continue working directly with local businesses to accommodate deliveries and customer pickups, maintain access and support holiday activities,” said the media statement.

In a formal statement from Jennifer Graham Harkness, Chief Engineer and Executive Director of Engineering & Construction Services for the City of Toronto, she acknowledged the frustration of local business owners in the area and said the city will continue its work with local businesses to reduce the impacts of construction.

“We recognize how important the holiday season is for businesses on Queen Street East and understand the frustration caused by this change in plans,” said Harkness. “The urgent track work can no longer safely wait, so we’re accelerating it for completion by mid-December and then pausing construction over the busiest part of the holiday season. We’ll continue working closely with local businesses to reduce impacts as much as possible.”

Several TTC routes will also be impacted while the streetcar track work along Queen Streete East is carried out, including the eastbound 501B/301B Queen and 503 Kingston Road buses, 31 Greenwood buses, and the 501/301 Queen streetcars. The westbound 501B/301B Queen and 503 Kingston Road buses will continue regular operation along Queen Street East.

For more on the transit route impacts, please visit the TTC’s website at https://www.ttc.ca/news/2026/November/TTC-adjusts-service-on-Queen-St-E-for-streetcar-track-renewal