Industrial companies operate close to residential in the southern part of Rouge-Park
The City of Toronto is planning to ramp up promotion of the Coronation Drive Employment Area in Scarborough – Rouge Park, an industrial area not far from the water’s edge.
Coronation Drive, south of the Lawrence Ave and Kingston Road intersection, is home to a number of industrial businesses including Dow Chemical and GFL Environmental as well as an XYZ Storage facility.
Industry built up in the area decades ago due to being so close to the CN Toronto – Montreal rail line. The area was supposed to be where the eastern portion of the Gardiner Expressway was built, but those plans were cancelled in the 1950s following local opposition.
In the years following, residential development also expanded in the region. The southern part of the area sees evening and weekend traffic as baseball teams travel to Ken Morrish Baseball Park on the waterfront.
This has put residential and industrial needs in conflict, as neighbours point out traffic and noise concerns arising from the heavy vehicles regularly traveling through the area.
It’s for this reason that the “targeted measures” recommended in a new City Staff report are a balance between “strategic business attraction and road safety improvements, to balance economic viability with the safety and livability of the surrounding area.”
That report was approved by Scarborough community council at a recent meeting.
In terms of employment, the area is seeing an influx of jobs. “Coronation Drive has experienced the largest relative increase in employment over the past five years, increasing 31.9 per cent from 910 jobs in 2021 to 1,200 jobs in 2025,” the report explains.
However, the companies that operate in the area are heavily exposed to the recent tariff fluctuations, creating uncertainty.
While pushing for more business investment in the area, the report also reduces the speed limit on Coronation Drive from 50 km/hr to 40 km/hr and maintains the rule that heavy vehicles are prohibited on local neighbourhood streets at all times.
The work leading up to this has been going on for over five years, as the city looks to amend its official plan and approach to employment zones as it apples to Coronation Drive. The work has included convening a Local Advisory Group and hosting community consultations over the years.
The primary concerns raised at community meetings have been traffic as well as protecting and maintaining the green space in the area.
