Toronto Hydro and the City of Toronto Announce Critical Investments to Modernize Streetlighting
April 20, 2026
Toronto Hydro, and the City of Toronto announced a plan for an enhanced 10-year investment in Toronto’s streetlighting system to improve safety, reliability and sustainability across Toronto neighbourhoods by 2035. As set out in the City’s 2026 Budget, the $577 million total investment through Toronto Hydro’s subsidiary, Toronto Hydro Energy Services Inc., will fund the conversion of Toronto’s streetlights to energy-efficient LED lighting with smart lighting controls and the ongoing renewal of Toronto’s streetlighting infrastructure for one of Canada’s largest and most complex streetlighting systems.
The streetlight investment will deliver substantial community lighting improvements for residents across Toronto’s neighbourhoods. Modern LED streetlights provide brighter, more consistent illumination and by deploying controls, can enable faster detection and repair of failures. This improves safety for pedestrians, cyclists and drivers. Research shows that crime can also be reduced in areas with improved streetlighting when compared to areas without.
Within the 10-year timeline for this investment, the program will result in an overall LED conversion, prioritizing those neighbourhoods with the greatest infrastructure need and highest safety risk. Toronto Hydro and the City of Toronto have worked collaboratively to prioritize neighbourhoods for upgrade.
LED streetlight technology provides considerable cost savings for taxpayers and electricity customers due to lower energy usage, reduced light maintenance and grid demand, as well as automated system management though smart lighting controls. LED streetlights reduce energy use by 40 to 60 per cent, with potentially another 20 per cent savings possible when smart lighting controls are added. Those smart lighting controls will allow for immediate alerts when lights go out, scheduling and dimming strategies and the opportunity to incorporate sensors and other modernization technologies.
QUICK FACTS
- Toronto’s streetlight system includes approximately 173,000 luminaires, 57,000 poles and 2,500 of overhead and underground cables
- In 2005, the City of Toronto sold its streetlighting assets to Toronto Hydro under an Asset Purchase Agreement and entered into a 30-year Services Agreement
- Toronto currently uses two main types of streetlights, which are no longer being produced: Acorn Metal Halide (33,500 lights) and Cobrahead High-Pressure Sodium (109,900 lights)
- There are approximately 15,900 LED luminaires currently in service
- LED lights last two to four times longer than traditional streetlights — roughly 12 to 20 years compared to two to six years
