Formula E eyes Canada comeback as Toronto pushes 2028 E-Prix plans

Formula E could return to Canada after an eleven-year absence, with plans for a Toronto E-Prix in summer 2028 gathering momentum. Parts of the city's former IndyCar street circuit could be used, while Formula E CEO Jeff Dodds has confirmed talks with Toronto and says he feels "quite good" about the location.

According to Formula E Notebook, efforts to bring Formula E to Toronto have been underway since 2024. Those plans have reportedly gathered significant momentum recently. Work has already been carried out on a potential track layout and an economic impact study, while the expected infrastructure costs are also believed to have been assessed.

Exhibition Place, west of downtown Toronto, is considered a possible venue. IndyCar races were held there with only a few interruptions from 1986 until 2025, before the event moved to Markham for the 2026 season. According to the report, parts of the former circuit could be incorporated into a Formula E layout, potentially even running in the opposite direction.

No final decision has been made yet, however. An official feasibility study could follow in 2027. A sustainability conference is also planned for July of that year and is intended to serve as a precursor to a larger festival. Such an event could then take place alongside a Toronto E-Prix in 2028.

Formula E CEO Dodds confirms talks with Toronto

Formula E CEO Jeff Dodds has confirmed that talks with Toronto have already taken place. North America is an important market for the championship, particularly from the perspective of its manufacturers and teams. Formula E has also recently spoken to cities including Phoenix, Atlanta and Detroit about potential races.

"Toronto is a great city and North America is really important to us because if you talk to the manufacturers and the teams and ask 'what are your top markets for us to make sure that we double down on' they would consistently come back with China and North America," Dodds told Formula E Notebook.

He also views the discussions with Toronto positively. "And we feel quite good about Toronto, actually as it's a different country to the USA, slightly different market, but an important market. I feel quite good about the location, and it does have strong racing heritage."

Dodds nevertheless stressed that a deal is not close to being signed yet. "Not as in I feel like we're just about to sign something in Toronto, but I feel good about that conversation taking place, because it's such a good location."

Canada has been waiting for Formula E's return since 2017

Formula E has so far raced in Canada on just one weekend. Two races were held on a street circuit in Montreal at the end of Season 3 in July 2017. Financially, however, the event turned into a major disappointment: the organiser later reported a deficit of around 13.6 million Canadian dollars, roughly 9 million euros at the exchange rate at the time. According to the city's auditor general, only 13,646 tickets were sold, while more than 34,000 were distributed free of charge.

The E-Prix subsequently became one of the major issues in Montreal's mayoral election campaign in autumn 2017. Incumbent mayor Denis Coderre, who had played a major role in bringing the race to Montreal, defended the event as a long-term investment, while challenger Valerie Plante criticised the high expenditure. Plante won the election and shortly afterwards cancelled the planned 2018 event.

A second Canadian attempt failed before a race could even take place. A Vancouver E-Prix was officially included on the Formula E calendar for July 2022, but was cancelled only a few months before the scheduled date. The promoter initially suggested that the event would be postponed until 2023, but Formula E later ended its relationship with the local promoter and the planned race never took place.

If the current plans go ahead, Toronto would become the third Canadian city after Montreal and Vancouver where a Formula E race has been the subject of concrete plans. The championship would return to Canada in the summer of 2028 for the first time in eleven years. Several steps remain before that can happen, though, and as Dodds himself emphasised, the project is still some way from a potential contract being signed.