A pilot project is bringing self-driving robots to Toronto — sparking concerns from one city councillor

Lane Harrison · CBC News

· Posted: May 04, 2025 4:00 AM EDT | Last Updated: 12 minutes ago

Toronto's crowded streets volition soon spot different benignant of vehicle: self-driving transportation robots — a determination the metropolis had nary support implicit and a large interest for 1 councillor whose downtown ward volition beryllium affected. 

The aviator project, tally by Magna International Inc., will spot up to 20 self-driving vehicles, nether the reflection of humans successful cars, instrumentality retired crossed respective neighbourhoods connected streets wherever velocity limits are 40 kilometers per hr oregon lower. 

It was approved by the provincial Ministry of Transportation, and the city's infrastructure and situation committee volition sermon it Wednesday. 

The robots volition articulation drivers, cyclists and pedestrians utilizing the roads successful Parkdale-High Park, York South-Weston, Davenport, University-Rosedale and Toronto-St. Paul's. The aviator is expected to commencement successful the 2nd 4th of this year, according to a metropolis study which doesn't specify what period the aviator is acceptable to begin. 

The vehicles volition person 3 wheels and are astir the size of a ample cargo bike, with the tallness of a emblematic sedan, according to a metropolis report. They volition person locked compartments to clasp packages that tin beryllium opened with a multi-digit code.

That study says the robots successfully completed deliveries successful 2022 and 2023 without information incidents connected roads adjacent Detroit. But Coun. Dianne Saxe, who represents University-Rosedale, worries that acquisition isn't capable to fto the vehicles into dense Toronto neighbourhoods. 

"This is simply a solution looking for a problem. We already cognize however to marque debased c section deliveries enactment really, truly good inexpensively. And that's with electrical cargo bikes," Saxe said. 

"I'm disquieted astir everybody. I'm disquieted astir pedestrians, particularly astatine intersections."

WATCH | See the robots for yourself: 

She besides takes contented with the mode the task came to be. 

"It is perfectly emblematic of the [Doug] Ford authorities that they springiness the metropolis nary accidental portion they interfere successful 1 of our halfway responsibilities," she said. 

In effect to Saxe's concerns, a spokesperson for the ministry of proscription said Ontario's roads "are among the safest successful North America." The spokesperson added the state has permitted automated conveyance investigating successful locations crossed the province.

While Magna International Inc. said the institution has spent months engaging with each levels of authorities and promised the vehicles would not run successful motorcycle lanes, Saxe said if the metropolis were to person a say, she'd privation much accusation earlier voting connected the project. 

Pilot task volition person respective information precautions

Magna is instituting respective safeguards during the pilot, according to the unit report. 

Those include: 

• The vehicles won't beryllium capable to question faster than 32 kilometres per hr and volition enactment connected roads with velocity limits beneath 40 kilometres per hour. 
• The vehicles volition not execute near turns, to trim the accidental of collisions. 
• The vehicles are "small and light" to trim the imaginable consequences of immoderate collision.

The vehicles volition besides beryllium trailed by a car with 2 radical successful it, who tin halt them successful an emergency. Another idiosyncratic volition remotely show the vehicle's 360-degree cameras and tin instrumentality implicit power of the robot.

Academics optimistic astir aviator project

While Saxe has concerns, immoderate who survey the tract of autonomous vehicles are blessed to spot the aviator travel to Toronto. 

The extremity of this benignant of task is to implicit abbreviated deliveries, known arsenic last-mile, according to Steven Waslander, manager of the Toronto Robotics and Artificial Intelligence Laboratory astatine the University of Toronto.

"It's a convenience service," helium said. "It lowers the outgo somewhat of operating the vehicle. So it has existent benefits commercially."

Autonomous conveyance exertion is thing that's coming to our streets 1 mode oregon another, said Bilal Farooq, Canada probe seat successful disruptive proscription technologies and services astatine Toronto Metropolitan University. 

WATCH | Director of U of T's AI laboratory optimistic astir project:

"So successful that context, I deliberation it's a bully usage lawsuit to trial and larn from it," helium said. "Trying to experimentation and trying to measure successful a controlled manner, I deliberation it's an encouraging direction."