Weekend need-to-know: Maple Leaf Square hosting Game 4 tailgate party

Maple Leaf Square will be filled to the brim for Game 4 action on Saturday night and the Hot Docs festival is back. Keep in mind, there is a subway closure this weekend and a GO Transit service adjustment.

Maple Leafs playoff action

The Maple Leafs will be playing the Ottawa Senators in Game 4 on Saturday night and while the game won’t be happening in Toronto, there are lots of places to catch the game surrounded by fans.

Currently, Toronto is up 3-0 in the Battle of Ontario series.

The Leafs will be hosting a tailgate party in Maple Leaf Square at Scotiabank Arena with the game being played on the big screen outside.

Free passes will be available at 1 p.m. the day before each game and are available only on the Toronto Maple Leafs mobile app. Each person is limited to two passes.

Earth Day at Downsview Park

While Earth Day was officially earlier this week, Downsview Park is keeping the celebration of our planet and the environment going this Sunday at the Play Zone.

There will be hands-on activities, opportunities to learn about ways to reduce your environmental footprint from the education staff, connect with like-minded individuals and more.

The event will take place rain or shine.

Tickets are free but you must register if you want to take part in tree planting.

Annual Khalsa Day Toronto Celebration

The Khalsa Day parade is back this year, the third largest parade in Canada. The celebration of the Sikh New Year is expected to attract thousands of participants and spectators on Sunday.

The annual parade takes place along Lakeshore Boulevard, starting from the Canadian National Exhibition grounds at 1 p.m. and traveling east to Toronto City Hall, finishing at 3:30 p.m.

There will be snacks available at both the start and finish line of the parade.

The Ontario Sikhs and Gurdwaras Council, who put on the parade, encourage people from all background and religions to come out and celebrate.

Hot Docs Festival

After a tumultuous year, the Hot Docs Festival is back with its 32nd edition, with 113 documentaries from 47 countries being shown in two Toronto cinemas, showcasing and supporting the work of Canadian and international documentary filmmakers and to promote excellence in documentary production.

Hot Docs will also feature an Industry Conference and Market for documentary practitioners and industry representatives, starting on April 28.

A full lineup of films and showtimes can be found on their website.

It runs from April 24 to May 4.

TTC and GO Transit

TTC service update

Subway service on Line 2 between Kipling and Jane stations will be replaced by shuttle buses on Saturday, April 26, and Sunday, April 27, due to planned track work.

Regular subway service will resume on Monday, April 28, at 6 a.m.

GO Transit service update

On April 26 and 27, there will be no GO train service on the Barrie Line. GO buses will replace train service at all stations on the Barrie Line except Downsview GO and Union Station.

Road closures in Toronto

Gardiner Expressway closure

As part of the long-term construction plan on the Gardiner Expressway, one westbound lane and one eastbound lane are closed between Dufferin Street and Strachan Avenue. The eastbound on-ramp from Lake Shore Boulevard at Jameson Avenue is also closed.

A stretch of the westbound Gardiner will also be reduced from four lanes to three for approximately one year. The westbound lane closure will stretch from Park Lawn Road to Grand Avenue in southern Etobicoke. The eastbound lanes along the same stretch will be narrowed, but with no lane reductions, from April 2025 to December 2026.

Weekend closures

Don Valley Parkway – Rehabilitation of Eastern/Adelaide Bridges 

From 11 p.m. to 5 a.m., nightly from Thursday, April 24 to Monday, April 28, the following road and ramp closures will be in place to transition to the next phase of work on the Rehabilitation of Eastern/Adelaide Bridges project:  

• Don Valley Parkway southbound off-ramp at Richmond Street.  
• Don Valley Parkway northbound on-ramp at Eastern Avenue.  
• Richmond Street between Eastern Avenue Diversion and Power Street.  
• Adelaide Street between Parliament Street and Eastern Avenue Diversion. 

Steeles Avenue East 

From 7 a.m. on Friday, April 25 to 7 p.m. on Monday, April 28, Steeles Avenue East will be closed between Sewells Road and Donald Cousens Parkway for emergency work on the CN Rail line. Traffic will be diverted between Reesor Road and Donald Cousens Parkway. Local access to Sewells Road from Steeles Avenue will be maintained. 

Wellesley Street West 

From 7 a.m. to 1 p.m. on Saturday, April 26, Wellesley Street West will be closed between Bay Street and Queen’s Park Circle for the safe use of a crane hoist.  

Gerrard Street East 

From 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. on Saturday, April 26, Gerrard Street East will be closed between Church and Yonge Streets for the safe use of a crane hoist.  

Bremner Boulevard and Maple Leaf Square – Stanley Cup playoffs tailgates 

From noon on Saturday, April 26 until two hours after the Toronto Maple Leafs’ game ends, Bremner Boulevard will be closed between Maple Leaf Square and York Street. Maple Leaf Square will remain closed for the duration of the Leafs’ playoffs season. Local access to parking garages and the Le Germain Hotel will be maintained. 

Khalsa Day Parade 

On Sunday, April 27, the following road restrictions will be in effect for the annual Khalsa Day celebration and parade at Nathan Phillips Square: 

From 5 a.m. to 9 p.m., Queen Street West will be closed between Bay and York Streets. 

From 12:45 p.m. to 3:30 p.m., the following roads will be closed:  

• Lake Shore Boulevard West between British Colombia Road and Bay Street. 
• York Street between Lake Shore Boulevard West and Front Street, and between Queen and Adelaide Streets. 
• University Avenue between Front and Dundas Streets. 
• Queen Street West between Simcoe and York Streets. 

Bumrun 

On Sunday, April 27, the following road restrictions will be in effect for the 14th annual Bumrun Toronto charity run which raises awareness of colon cancer screening and prevention:  

From 5:30 a.m. to noon, Queens Park will be closed between College Street and Bloor Street West.

From 7:30 to 10 a.m.: 

• College Street will be reduced to one westbound lane between Queens Park and Spadina Avenue. 
• Spadina Avenue will be reduced to one northbound lane between College Street and Bloor Street West. 
• Eastbound lanes on Bloor Street West will be closed between Spadina Avenue and Bay Street. 
• Bay Street will be reduced to one southbound lane between Bloor Street West and St Joseph Street. 
• Westbound St Joseph Street will be closed between Bay Street and Queen’s Park Crescent East. 

Finch Avenue West 

From 7 a.m. to 2 p.m. on Sunday, April 27, westbound lanes on Finch Avenue West will be closed between Highway 27 and Westmore Drive for a planned emergency simulation exercise for the future Finch West Light Rail Transit (LRT) line. Westbound traffic will be diverted north on Westmore Drive to continue west on Carrier Drive. More information is available in Metrolinx’s construction notice. 

Temporary closures

• Yonge Street is reduced to a single lane both ways between Wellington and King for underground work at the TTC’s King Station to add new elevators and make it an accessible station. Construction is expected to continue into 2026.
• Queen Street is fully closed to traffic between Bay and Victoria Streets to accommodate work on a new station for the Ontario Line subway. The closure is scheduled to last until 2027.
• Eglinton Avenue West is reduced to a single lane east of Islington and west of Scarlett Road due to tunnelling work related to the multi-year Eglinton Crosstown West Extension project.
• Lane restrictions on Bayview Avenue between Roehampton Avenue and Armistice Drive while the city completes road resurfacing, curb and sidewalk replacement, and traffic signal and pedestrian upgrades. One northbound lane is currently closed on Bayview Avenue between Kilgour Road and Roehampton Avenue.
• Cherry Street remains closed south of Polson Pier due to maintenance on the Ship Channel Lift Bridge (Strauss Trunnion Bascule Bridge). Road users are able to access the Port of Toronto and Cherry Beach via Unwin Avenue. 
• From Sunday, January 12 until the spring, one northbound lane on the Don Valley Parkway (DVP) from the Eastern Avenue on-ramp to Queen Street East will be closed to accommodate work for the Eastern/Adelaide Bridges Rehabilitation Project. One eastbound and one westbound lane on Eastern Avenue will be closed between Sumach Street and Broadview Avenue. One eastbound lane on Adelaide Street will be closed between Sumach Street and Eastern Avenue. 
• Queens Park Crescent is reduced to a single lane south of Bloor as part of the TTC’s Easier Access Program at Museum Station. The project is expected to be complete by the end of 2025.
• Until Wednesday, December 31, William R. Allen Road will be reduced to two lanes in each direction at Wilson Avenue for construction as part of the rehabilitation of the Wilson TTC Station bus underpass structure and the Mezzanine Bridge.  
• Until Monday, June 30, access to the Highway 401 westbound on-ramp from southbound William R. Allen Road will be closed. Detour signs will be in place to divert traffic to access Highway 401 using an alternate interchange nearby.  
• Bremner Boulevard is reduced to one westbound lane at the intersection with Navy Wharf Court until June. Eastbound lanes remain open. 
• Until August, Blue Jays Way is closed between Front Street and Navy Wharf Court until August. Local access is maintained.  
• Navy Wharf Court is closed between Bremner Boulevard and Blue Jays Way until August. Local access for residents of Navy Wharf Court is maintained. At a later stage of construction, the east sidewalk on Navy Wharf Court and Bremner Boulevard will be closed to pedestrians and a detour route will be in place. 
• Until Sunday, May 18, rolling lane closures will be in effect on Lake Shore Boulevard West between New Brunswick Avenue and Strachan Avenue for road restoration following the completion of underground Toronto Hydro work earlier this year.  
• Islington Avenue will also be reduced from three lanes in each direction to two lanes where they pass over the Gardiner Expressway for approximately eight months, from April 7, 2025, to November 2025.

For full traffic updates, click here for the latest information from 680 NewsRadio Toronto.