Where
Toronto, Ontario, Canada
Mode of Transport
Public Transit, Cycling, Electric Vehicles
Type of intervention
Best Workplaces for Commuters, Best Site
The Opportunity
For almost 60 years, Yorkdale Shopping Centre has built a reputation for being Toronto’s ultimate shopping destination. Today, the mall spans 2 million square feet and is home to 270 stores, including the country’s largest collection of designer labels and luxury brands and the finest in-home decor and technology. Recognized for its exclusive lineup of first-in-Canada global prestige brands, Yorkdale offers visitors everything they can imagine. Approximately 7,000 employees work on-site and 18 million people visit the shopping centre each year.
Yorkdale is committed to sustainability. From an innovative recycling program, to a rooftop beehive, to one of the largest solar panel installations in the Greater Toronto and Hamilton Area, Yorkdale is a leader in sustainability. The Best Sites for Commuters designation offers an opportunity to showcase the fantastic commuter benefits that Yorkdale offers to employees and visitors.
The Results
As of 2023, Yorkdale Shopping Centre has been awarded the Best Sites for Commuters designation and is the first site in Canada to receive this designation. The designation recognizes the outstanding commuter benefits that Yorkdale offers to employees and visitors, including:
- Electric vehicle charging in two parking garages
- Indoor access to TTC subway as well as the Yorkdale GO Transit bus terminal which connects to five regional bus routes
- Two TTC bus routes and one York Region Transit bus route stop on-site
- An indoor bike room that can be accessed via intercom, as well as 100+ short-term bike racks surrounding the building
- Two complimentary tire inflation stations that can be used by motorists and cyclists
- Membership in the Smart Commute program
Yorkdale also has an outstanding parking system. In 2018, Yorkdale’s G Parkade received Parksmart Pioneer certification and E Parkade received Parksmart Bronze certification. These were the first Parksmart certified projects in Canada and the first retail certifications in the world. The two parking structures together house 2,815 parking spaces.
Features of the parking garages include:
- Digital signs display real-time parking availability, showing the number of regular and accessible parking spaces currently available on each level of the parkade.
- Red and green lights above each parking space show which ones are available and occupied. This system reduces time spent idling and driving around looking for a spot.
- Reserved parking spaces for carpools, vanpools, and electric vehicles.
- Five cisterns with a total capacity of 809,000 litres collect rainwater which is used for irrigation of Yorkdale’s landscaping and also for garage cleaning.
- Energy-saving programmable lighting uses occupancy sensors and photocells to conserve energy.
55%
of commuters use a sustainable form of transportation
16
electric vehicle charging stations
100+
bicycle parking spaces
With the Best Sites for Commuters designation, Yorkdale continues to be a leader in sustainability, showing other organizations that it is possible to create a real environmental impact while continually improving the client experience.
