The School Crossing Guard Program provides an important service for families in Toronto. School crossing guards help students cross the street safely and confidently and remind drivers and people cycling of the presence of pedestrians at key locations.
The City’s School Crossing Guard Program is the largest of its kind in Canada. There are currently 825 dedicated, well-trained crossing guards working to improve road safety in Toronto.
School crossing guards play a vital role in ensuring the safety of students as they travel through our school communities. They do so by guiding them across busy roads and intersections and by making sure drivers and people cycling are aware of pedestrians crossing. They are trained to be attentive, patient and observant. School crossing guards wear bright, reflective clothing and use a stop sign and a whistle.
The School Crossing Guard Program is one of the many programs under the City’s Vision Zero Road Safety Plan, which aims to reduce the number of traffic-related injuries and fatalities in Toronto. More information is available on the City’s Vision Zero Road Safety Plan webpage.
This year, the School Crossing Guard Appreciation Week is taking place from Monday, June 5 to Friday, June 9. To show appreciation to Toronto’s school crossing guards, the City is encouraging students and their families to participate by handing out thank you cards to school crossing guards. Giving a card is a simple but meaningful way to show support and let our guards know that their efforts are appreciated.
School crossing guards often work in challenging weather conditions, and their job requires a high degree of vigilance and attention to detail. By taking the time to thank school crossing guards for their service, we can show that their work is valued by their community.
Residents can download and print this template thank you card and hand it to their nearest school crossing guard. It’s important to be respectful of the crossing guard’s time by not disrupting their work while handing out cards. Do not approach the crossing guard until they have helped everyone around you cross the road safely.
School crossing guards in Toronto are present at many locations throughout the city. You can look up the location of your nearest school crossing guard by viewing the list of locations.
As per the Ontario Ministry of Transportation, where a school-crossing guard displays a red and white stop sign, you must stop before reaching the crossing and remain stopped until all people, including the school crossing guard, have cleared the entire roadway and it is safe to proceed. If you have any doubts about when it is safe to drive forward, wait until all the children and the guard have cleared the crossing. Drivers who don’t follow the stopping requirements may receive a substantial fine and get three demerit points.
Drivers and cyclists traveling through school zones should exercise caution during peak hours to ensure the safety of pedestrians. The City recommends:
If the location does not meet one or more of the following criteria, please contact SchoolCrossingGuard@toronto.ca for instructions on how to proceed and do not submit an online form.
If the locations meet all criteria needs below, please proceed to complete the online form and request endorsement from the principal and ward councillor.
| Criteria | Does the criteria apply to the location you wish to apply for? |
|---|---|
| 1. The requested location is on a roadway with a speed limit less than 60 km/h. | Yes or No |
| 2. The associated school has an age range between Junior Kindergarten and Grade 5. | Yes or No |
| 3. The requested location is within the walking boundary or within 1.5km of the associated school. | Yes or No |
(1) Requestor to complete online form
Please complete the online form by answering all questions and clicking on “submit” at the end of the form. One location per submission only please. You should receive an on-screen confirmation that your form has been successfully submitted at the end.
Online form must be fully completed and submitted to be considered. Timed-out or partially completed forms will not be considered.
(2) Councillor and Principal to email endorsement
Please contact the ward councillor and school principal requesting that they email their endorsement to SchoolCrossingGuard@toronto.ca with Response ID, school name and intersection in the subject line.
Only fully completed and submitted online forms with supporting emails from the school principal and Ward Councillor will be processed.
(3) Understanding Timelines
| Submission Deadline | Data Collection Months | Analyze the Data | Notification of Results | Council Approval | Provision of Service* |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| January 31 | Spring
(Apr-May) |
Summer
(Jul-Aug) |
Fall
(Sep-Oct) |
Fall
(Oct-Nov) |
Winter
(Jan) |
| July 31 | Fall
(Oct-Nov) |
Winter
(Jan-Feb) |
Spring
(Mar-Apr) |
Spring
(May-Jun) |
Fall
(Sep) |
*Provision of service is dependent on budget approval/availability of funding and is a minimum of 12 months after the submission deadline.
Please expect delays in processing applications because of school closures associated with COVID-19 restrictions. Open schools are required to complete data collections associated with traffic and pedestrian counts that are necessary to complete the data analysis step in the above table.
School crossing guards are not City of Toronto employees.
The City of Toronto has hired two contractors to provide the school crossing guard service.
Applicants must contact the vendors directly to apply for a position. We have provided information on geographic responsibility for each vendor and contact information below for your reference.
Please review the list of wards and contact the vendor who is responsible for the ward that you wish to work in.
This vendor serves the following wards in North York and Etobicoke York:
A.S.P Inc. Contact Information:
Carraway
This vendor serves the following wards in Toronto & East York and Scarborough:
Carraway Inc. Contact Information:
Please call 311 or send an email to 311@toronto.ca to report an issue with a current school crossing guard. This will start a formal investigation. We will investigate and respond to your concern. Please ensure you have the following details available:
For all other inquiries, please email SchoolCrossingGuard@toronto.ca.
Please contact the service providers directly to report compliments.
A.S.P Inc. Contact Information:
Carraway Inc. Contact Information:
School crossing guards are currently placed at these locations.