Teresa Di Felice

Assistant Vice President, Government and Community Relations CAA South Central Ontario

  • Thornhill ON

Teresa oversees CAA SCO's advocacy and community relations efforts in Ontario.

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Spotlight

3 min

MEDIA RELEASE: Nominate now: the annual CAA Worst Roads campaign kicks off

The nomination portal for the annual CAA Worst Roads campaign is now open, and CAA South Central Ontario (CAA SCO) is giving Ontarians the opportunity to voice their concerns about the bad roads in their communities. “Our research shows that 85 per cent of Ontarians are concerned about the state of our roads,” says Teresa Di Felice, assistant vice president of government and community relations, CAA SCO. “The campaign has been a vital platform for Ontarians to nominate roads they believe need urgent attention. It allows Ontarians to drive positive change in their communities by amplifying their voices.” Survey Reveals High Cost of Vehicle Damage from Poor Roads According to a survey conducted by CAA SCO, nearly half of respondents have experienced vehicle damage because of poor roads. Eighty-one per cent pay out of pocket to repair their vehicle, only three per cent file a claim with their personal auto insurance, and nine per cent forego repairs altogether. Vehicle damage caused by potholes and poor road maintenance can range from $500 to over $2,000. The average repair by those surveyed cost $933, a significant $81 increase from 2024. “With the increasing cost of living, many people hold on to their cars for longer when damaged, the last thing they need is expensive repair bills on an already stretched household budget,” adds Di Felice. The survey also found that cracked pavement remains the most dominant road-related issue (88 per cent), followed by potholes (84 per cent) and congestion (81 per cent – up four per cent from 2024). One of the highest-climbing road-related issues Members reported is reduced or closed lanes, where 78 per cent of respondents agreed it is common in their region—up six per cent from last year. “The frustration from motorists is evident,” says Di Felice, “congestion continues to grow as one of the top road-related concerns for Ontarians, and the CAA Worst Roads campaign allows governments the insight into what repairs need to be prioritized for their communities.” More than half of respondents (64 per cent) also agreed that not enough is currently being done to maintain the roads in their area. Decision-Makers Respond to the Worst Roads Campaign “We know that the campaign works and that decision-makers are listening. Since the start of the campaign, we have seen budgets prioritized and road repairs moved up,” says Di Felice, “in the last four campaigns, we have seen ten roads receive attention because of their nomination in the CAA Worst Roads campaign.” Ontario’s top 10 list is verified by the Residential and Civil Construction Alliance of Ontario (RCCAO) and its members, including the Greater Toronto Sewer and Watermain Contractors Association (GTSWCA), Heavy Construction Association of Toronto (HCAT), and the Toronto and Area Road Builders Association (TARBA). Nominations for the Worst Roads campaign can be submitted online at www.caaworstroads.com from March 25 to April 18. Once the nominations are collected, CAA will reveal the top 10 worst roads in the province to the public. CAA conducted an online survey with 2,370 CAA SCO Members between January 6 to 14, 2025. Based on the sample size and the confidence level (95 per cent), the margin of error for this study was +/2 per cent.

Teresa Di Felice

3 min

MEDIA RELEASE: The CAA Worst Road in Ontario is Hamilton's Aberdeen Avenue

The nominations are in, and Aberdeen Avenue in Hamilton is the CAA Worst Road for 2024. This is the first year Aberdeen Avenue has claimed the top spot on the provincial list due to potholes, poor road maintenance, and traffic congestion. It first debuted on the top regional list for Hamilton 2021 and has since climbed to the top. Taking the second and third place spots are Eglinton Avenue West in Toronto, due to traffic congestion, potholes and poor road maintenance and Barton Street East in Hamilton, due to potholes and poor road maintenance. "We know that the campaign works; time and time again, we see roads and infrastructure projects being moved up and budgets prioritized after the road has appeared on the list," says Teresa Di Felice, assistant vice president of government and community relations, CAA South Central Ontario. "For the last 21 years, the campaign has given Ontarians a voice to help them nominate the roads they believe are in need of urgent repair." CAA Worst Roads lists provide decision-makers with an important citizen perspective on which roadway repairs need to be expedited and key priorities for infrastructure funding and investments moving forward. In Ontario, 145 municipalities nominated over 2,000 different roads in their communities. Municipalities are responsible for approximately 140,000 kilometres of roads across the province. "Roads, sidewalks, and bike paths are only some of the things municipal governments fund with limited revenue sources," says Di Felice. "It's important for communities to share their view on what and where investments should be made. CAA Worst Roads is a forum to do that." Drivers accounted for most of the nominations, while cyclists and pedestrians accounted for about a quarter. Ontarians shared their primary reasons for selecting a road, with 53 per cent citing potholes, followed by poor road maintenance (52 per cent), traffic congestion (13 per cent) and poor cycling infrastructure, or lack thereof (8 per cent). Ontario's top 10 list is verified by the Residential and Civil Construction Alliance of Ontario (RCCAO). "For the second consecutive year, RCCAO is proud to be the technical partner of the CAA Worst Roads advocacy campaign," says Nadia Todorova, Executive Director of RCCAO. "This year's campaign revealed growing competition on Ontario's deteriorating infrastructure amidst a growing state of good repair backlog. Long-term, sustainable funding is needed to build and maintain critical infrastructure." Ontario's Top 10 Worst Roads for 2024 1. Aberdeen Avenue, Hamilton 2. Eglinton Avenue West, Toronto 3. Barton Street East, Hamilton 4. County Road 49, Prince Edward County 5. Hurontario Street, Mississauga 6. Bloor Street West, Toronto 7. Cedar Street North, Uxbridge 8. Finch Avenue West, Toronto 9. Lake Shore Boulevard East, Toronto 10. Laclie Street, Orillia Worst Roads by Region Central— Laclie Street, Orillia Eastern— County Road 49, Prince Edward County Halton-Peel-York-Durham— Hurontario Street, Mississauga Niagara— Portage Road, Niagara Falls North— Widdifield Station Road, North Bay Southwest— Plank Road, Sarnia Western— York Road, Guelph Ottawa— Carling Avenue, Ottawa For the complete list of the 2024 Worst Roads, please visit https://www.caasco.com/advocacy/worst-roads/2024-results

Teresa Di Felice

3 min

MEDIA RELEASE: Voting for the CAA Worst Roads campaign is now open

Tired of swerving around potholes? Are you worried about your safety as a cyclist or pedestrian? Voting is now open in Ontario for the annual CAA Worst Roads campaign, and CAA South Central Ontario (CAA SCO) is giving citizens the opportunity to voice their concerns about the bad roads in their communities. "Our research shows that 65 per cent of members don't feel enough is being done to fix the roads," says Teresa Di Felice, assistant vice president government and community relations, CAA SCO. "This is causing a variety of concerning driving behaviours, including swerving to avoid potholes, slowing down for bad spots, and some even changing their route altogether to avoid a bad road. We encourage all Ontarians to vote for their Worst Roads and join the community of drivers, cyclists, transit riders and pedestrians committed to improving and actively working to help make our roads safer for all." Those surveyed say they spent $852 on average to repair their vehicle. According to a survey conducted by CAA SCO, 84 per cent of members worry about the state of our roads, with 42 per cent experiencing vehicle damage due to poor roads. Despite this, 82 per cent pay out of pocket to repair their vehicles, while only four per cent file a claim with insurance, and nine per cent forgo repairs altogether. "Either because of affordability or availability, many people are holding on to their cars a little longer these days; the last thing they want is expensive repair bills on an already stretched household budget. While inflation rates are cooling, many of us are dealing with a higher cost of living, making the investment in roads and supporting infrastructure more important than ever," adds Di Felice. Vehicle damage caused by potholes can range from $500 to over $2,000, with the average repair by those surveyed costing $852. "We know that the campaign works and that decision-makers are listening. Since its inception in 2003, we have seen road repairs move up and budgets prioritized. The CAA Worst Roads campaign has been a vital platform for Ontarians to nominate and vote for roads they believe need urgent attention. It covers issues like congestion, potholes, road signs, and traffic light timing for pedestrian and cycling safety." Ontario's top 10 list is verified by the Residential and Civil Construction Alliance of Ontario (RCCAO) and their members, including the Greater Toronto Sewer and Watermain Contractors Association (GTSWCA), Heavy Construction Association of Toronto (HCAT), and the Toronto and Area Road Builders Association (TARBA). "RCCAO is a proud partner and supporter of this year's CAA Worst Roads advocacy campaign, giving Ontarians a platform to raise awareness about the state of vital road infrastructure in their communities," said Nadia Todorova, executive director of RCCAO. Nominations for the Worst Roads campaign can be submitted online at www.caaworstroads.com from March 27 to April 19. Once the nominations are collected, CAA will reveal the top 10 worst roads in the province to the public. CAA conducted an online survey with 2,753 CAA SCO Members between January 10 to 19, 2023. Based on the sample size and the confidence level (95 per cent), the margin of error for this study was +/2 per cent.

Teresa Di Felice
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Biography

Teresa is the Assistant Vice President of Government & Community Relations at CAA South Central Ontario (CAA SCO), Canada's largest CAA Club. She has been with CAA since 2005.

Road safety for all users is a key focus of CAA Club Group’s advocacy portfolio. Teresa is responsible for the overall direction and execution of the organization’s advocacy strategies and programs — including one of Canada’s largest elementary school safety programs, the CAA School Safety Patrol program — representing and raising awareness on relevant issues to over 2 million CAA Members and with policymakers in Ontario. She also coordinates public affairs strategies, particularly provincial government relations, with CAA's two other Ontario based clubs and works with CAA National on a number of public and government affairs files.

Teresa’s breadth and range of knowledge on infrastructure, transportation, safety, automotive and industry issues related to CAA’s work has resulted in many contributions to the development and execution of sound public policy. These include input into the province’s cycling strategy, being a member of the Premier’s panel on the Transit Investment Strategy, tow industry reform and on the transition team of the Mayor of Toronto, to name a few.

Over the last three years Teresa has released two Conference Board of Canada reports related to how much motorists contribute to the cost of infrastructure and various tools and strategies related to mitigating congestion.

Industry Expertise

Public Policy
Government Relations
Legislative Office
Automotive
Safety
Highways / Railtracks

Areas of Expertise

Community & Government Relations
Road Safety
Policy Advocacy
Towing Regulation
Congestion Management
Roadside Assistance
Electric and Hybrid Vehicles
Cannabis and Road Safety

Education

University of Toronto, Victoria University

B.A.

Political Science and Criminology

Media Appearances

Hamilton’s Aberdeen Avenue is worst road in Ontario for 2024, CAA says

Global News  online

2024-05-28

For the third year in a row, Hamilton is home to the worst road in Ontario.

Aberdeen Avenue has climbed to number one on the CAA Worst Roads list for 2024, dethroning Barton Street East which was number one in 2022 and 2023.

Teresa Di Felice, assistant VP of government and community relations for CAA South Central Ontario, says the association has been watching Aberdeen Avenue for some time, putting it in the top ten last year.

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Here’s CAA top 10 worst road in Ontario for 2024 | Worst road in Ontario

CTV News  tv

2024-05-28

CAA South Central Ontario has released its annual 2024 CAA Worst Roads list. Spokesperson Teresa Di Felice speaks on which road topped the list, and other findings.

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Hamilton’s Aberdeen Avenue voted worst road in Ontario

CHCH News  tv

2024-05-28

For the third year in a row, Hamilton has paved its way to the top of CAA’s worst road list.

Aberdeen Avenue has been named the worst road in Ontario for 2024.

The road first appeared on the automobile association's top ten charts last year, coming in eighth place.

It isn’t just potholes and poor road maintenance that makes it a terrible road however, CAA says that 13 per cent of the people it polled made their decision based on traffic congestion.

“We know that the City of Hamilton has been looking at some various road safety initiatives and I think sometimes these change management projects around how to make everybody safer to cause some changes to how the traffic can get around."

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