Mayor Olivia Chow says Toronto has “delivered” and is off to a “strong start” as a World Cup host. During a media availability on Tuesday, Toronto’s mayor said that while the city will make some “targeted improvements” for the remaining five World Cup matches slated for Toronto Stadium, she has been pleased with how the first week of the tournament has gone locally. “With the eyes of the world on Toronto your city government delivered. The TTC moved hundreds of thousands of people, public spaces were clean and well maintained and police, fire and paramedics worked around the clock to keep everyone safe,” Chow said. “I want to thank them for a genuinely strong start.” More than 43,000 people attended Friday’s World Cup match at Toronto Stadium with thousands more watching the game from the FIFA Fan Fest at Fort York and the Bentway. Speaking with reporters at city hall, Chow said that going forward the city is looking to make “targeted improvements” to services being used during the World Cup, including increasing the number of ticket scanners at the official FIFA Fan Festival and improving waste collection services. “Learn, adapt and improve, that is how your local government will continue to deliver,” she said. Following the Canada-Bosnia and Herzegovina match on Friday, Metrolinx officials said approximately 25,000 additional riders passed through Exhibition GO Station. Metrolinx has increased service during the tournament, with Lakeshore East and Lakeshore West trains operating every 15 minutes on match days. TTC adjusting service during fan marches, games In an interview with CP24, TTC spokesperson Stuart Green was unable to provide specific ridership data. But he said the TTC has been learning how fan marches affect service since the start of the FIFA World Cup in Toronto and will be evolving its approach as the tournament goes on. . “One of the important things we did learn is how the fan marches impact our service,” he said. On June 12, Toronto’s World Cup home opener, large crowds of supporters cheering on Team Canada and Bosnia and Herzegovina lined the streets, temporarily blocking streetcar routes as fans celebrated and cheered. Green said as a result the TTC will provide real-time updates on service impacts, including delays and diversions, depending on the size of the marches. With files from CP24/CTV News Toronto’s Chris Fox
