Toronto police and provincial officials say OPP to take over policing of Gardiner and DVP, but no date given

Westbound traffic is seen on the Gardiner Expressway in Toronto, Wednesday, Jan. 8, 2025. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Cole Burston

Toronto police and provincial officials indicated Friday that the province could soon take over policing the Don Valley Parkway and the Gardiner Expressway, but remained tight-lipped about a timeline for the change.

Toronto Police Chief Myron Demkiw released s a statement Friday commenting on the “designation of DVP and Gardiner as King’s Highways.”

In Ontario, King’s highways generally refer to provincially managed paved highways, such as 400-series highways.

Demkiw’s statement appeared to pay tribute to members of the Toronto police service who have managed the highways so far.

“I commend and support the highly skilled members of Traffic Services, who along with the divisions and specialized teams, emergency response units, crisis negotiators, and forensic experts, respond effectively and efficiently to thousands of calls for service a year to keep the city’s arterial expressways moving safely,” his statement read.

It added that “TPS members will maintain responsibility for non-traffic related criminal matters on the King’s Highways in Toronto.”

In a separate release Friday, the Solicitor General’s Office said a new OPP detachment is being built at Ontario Place and will include a helicopter landing pad.

Further down, the release also noted that OPP will be responsible for patrolling the Gardiner and DVP.

“Consistent with other Kings Highways in the City of Toronto, the OPP will be responsible for traffic patrol on the Gardiner Expressway and the Don Valley Parkway,” the statement read. “The Toronto Police Service will maintain responsibility for all other non-traffic patrol related policing functions.”

Neither statement provided a timeline for the change.

Toronto police referred questions about the change to the province, but did say there would be no job losses as a result and no impact on 2027 police budget planning or the force’s multi-year hiring plan.

In a post on social media, the Toronto Police Association said it “fundamentally opposes” the plan for provincial police to take over some policing in the city, lambasting the move in calling it a “gross overreach into what is clearly within our members’ jurisdiction.”

“Almost every call in the city, regardless of its location, requires a multi-agency response. It does not make operational sense to bring in another response unit, such as the OPP,” TPA President Clayton Campbell said in the online statement.

“We believe this move will inevitably fragment the delivery of traffic enforcement and general policing services, increasing stress for commuters and posing a potential risk to public safety.”

Emails to the Solicitor General’s Office were not returned Friday afternoon.

Transportation Minister Prabmeet Sarkaria’s office did not say when the change would occur, but said the province is still doing their due diligence on the upload.

“A due diligence review of the Gardiner and DVP is underway. The review includes an assessment of the highways, financial and legal reviews, and corridor management controls,” a spokesperson for Sarkaria said. “The results of the assessment will help inform future decisions about all aspects of the upload, including timeframes.”

The Gardiner and the DVP are being transferred back to the province as part of a “New Deal” for Toronto struck by Mayor Olivia Chow and Premier Doug Ford. The deal is expected to save the city billions of dollars in upkeep for the highways.

Chow’s office did not return an email seeking clarification on the status of the upload Friday.