As the first-ever City of Toronto “traffic czar” settles into his role, he says making sure residents can get around during the 2026 FIFA World Cup and updating the municipal traffic congestion management plan are his top priorities.

“As I’m coming into this role, I’m excited to get going and work across the city. I’ve been empowered. I have the full support of senior leadership within the city. I have the support of the mayor,” Andrew Posluns told CityNews during an interview Friday afternoon.

“I think that’s what’s new that I’m going to be working across the City with every department and every agency to make sure that congestion is a dominant consideration when we’re having an impact on our roads and our transportation networks.”

Before joining the City of Toronto at the beginning of 2026, Posluns held policy and research-related roles at the Canada Infrastructure Bank, Metrolinx and the Ontario Ministry of Municipal Affairs and Housing, as well as the Ontario Ministry of Transportation (MTO).

While at MTO, he was charged with implementing and overseeing the transportation plan for the 2015 Pan Am and Parapan Am Games in the Greater Toronto and Hamilton Area.

One of the signature initiatives during the 2015 games was putting in place more than 200 kilometres of HOV (high-occupancy vehicle) lanes for participants and dignitaries to get across the region quicker.

As the City of Toronto prepares to host a handful of FIFA World Cup games starting in mid-June, CityNews asked what lessons learned could be applied to the new position as well as for major events. Posluns didn’t outline specific initiatives he might put in place, adding he’s still talking with various departments to learn more about plans in the works.

“There are options that we can pursue. There are ideas out there that we can do things a little bit differently and have an impact on congestion, and that when we’re all aligned within the city and around the city region,” he said.

“I wouldn’t want to comment specifically on their (City department) plans for the FIFA World Cup, but I’m looking forward to engaging with them.”

Posluns said his first major update on tackling congestion will be coming forward at Toronto city hall in April.

During a 2024 update to the Toronto congestion management plan, municipal staff said they were looking to increase the usage of cameras, artifical intelligence as well as hiking road occupancy fees for developers.

The idea of a “traffic czar” is not a new one in Toronto as city council has debated versions of the role for years. Concerns raised have often involved cost, authority and the potential effectiveness of another layer of bureaucracy.

Toronto Mayor Olivia Chow praised Posluns during an unrelated news conference Friday afternoon.

“He has 25 years of experience. He knows both the provincial and the municipal government. He knows how to work with other agencies … so I have full confidence that he is up to the job,” she said.

“I met with him yesterday. He has a plan to ease congestion, and he’s coordinating the construction. He already has been talking to a lot of our senior staff, so he is already working hard.”

When asked what success in the position would look like from a year for now, Posluns was vague but optimistic.

“It needs to be easier for people to get around. There needs to be progress made in terms of how we approach and address congestion when we know it’s going to occur as associated with one of our projects or works or events,” he said.

“Ultimately, we have a congestion management plan. I’ll be looking to that and some of the metrics that are inherent in it to show that we’re having an impact, and being able to bring down some of the impact that we see in the travel time index but also seeing the impact of things like our traffic agents and our signal priority.

“Mostly I’ll be looking and wanting to understand for people in the city that their lives are becoming easier, that it’s easier for them to be able to get around, that they understand that we’re doing everything we can in order to give them a better experience as they move in and around the city.”

With files from Alan Carter