Ontario's Failing Infrastructure Exposed
Hamilton's Barton Street East named Ontario's worst road for third time in five years by CAA
The Canadian Automobile Association’s 2026 Worst Roads campaign has named Hamilton’s Barton Street East as Ontario’s worst road for the third time in five years, citing long-running problems such as potholes, patchy pavement, and heavy wear from trucks. The list—compiled from public nominations and centered on safety and mobility concerns—also placed Mississauga’s Hurontario Street second and Greater Sudbury’s Notre Dame Avenue third, with Fort Erie’s Sider Road taking fourth. Four Toronto streets made the provincial top 10, underscoring that poor maintenance and uneven surfaces continue to affect some of the province’s busiest corridors, alongside recurring complaints from drivers about safety and ride quality. CAA representatives said the campaign is meant to help governments prioritize funding by showing residents which road repairs are most urgently needed. Other coverage noted that Barton Street East has previously topped the list in 2022 and 2023, and that Hamilton has already moved toward multi-million-dollar repair plans following earlier rankings. The Residential and Civil Construction Alliance of Ontario urged sustained, predictable investment in “state-of-good-repair” infrastructure, arguing that persistent repeat offenders indicate long-term fixes are still lacking.
Key Points
The CAA’s 2026 Ontario list also identified Toronto’s two worst-ranked streets specifically as Steeles Avenue East (4th worst in the province) and Sheppard Avenue West (5th worst). It further placed Bathurst Street (8th) and Unwin Avenue (9th) in the provincial top 10.
CTV Toronto quoted CAA’s news release saying that, “Across both the city and the province, road users commonly cited potholes, poor maintenance, and uneven surfaces as top concerns affecting safety and mobility.”
CAA South Central Ontario government-relations consultant Brian Pirvu said in the campaign context that, “Reliable infrastructure isn’t just about convenience; it’s about safety, affordability and quality of life,” adding that investing helps “reduce repair costs for drivers.”
RCCAO executive director Nadia Todorova said the results “underscore the importance of sustained investment in state‑of‑good‑repair infrastructure,” arguing that repeated “repeat offenders” reflect gaps in long-term fixes.
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