of City of Toronto has begun its third pothole repair of the year as crews work to address extensive road damage, according to Mayor Olivia Chow.
“This has been a brutal winter, and so far this year we’ve already filled 75,000 potholes,” Chow told a news conference on Saturday.
She said the city has increased its road repair budget by 34 percent compared to 2022, with $6.2 million now allocated to pothole repair.
“We’re filling 44 percent more potholes from 2022 because we’ve invested a lot more money,” Chow said.
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Despite the increased funding, Chow noted that crews have faced challenges due to inconsistent weather conditions.
“Right now, it’s not sustainable at all. It’s -5 (C) one day and 10 degrees the next,” she said, adding that crews were limited in February because of the conditions.
The city says crews are not only filling potholes, but also resurfacing and preparing road surfaces to improve long-term durability.
“Just fixing potholes is not enough,” Chow said. “We will expedite patching the potholes as the weather stabilizes.”
Residents are being encouraged to report potholes as the city expands its use of artificial intelligence to identify and prioritize repairs.
“We’ve accelerated our AI program through 311 that can detect and identify (potholes) so we can send a crew,” Chow said.
The city also did so in 2025 after another harsh winter created difficult driving conditions and potholes, although this year’s blitz remains one of the biggest ever.
— with files from Global News’ Lexy Benedict
© 2026 Global News, a division of Corus Entertainment Inc.
