City council to consider pilot program that would allow drinking in Toronto parks

Two Toronto city councillors tabled a motion Wednesday that could see a pilot program for consuming alcohol in parks established in time for the summer.

The motion was tabled by Coun. Shelley Carroll and Board of Health Chair Chris Moise.

If adopted by council, city staff will work with interested councillors to explore options within their ward, a release issued Wednesday said. Councillors will then have the option to opt-in to the pilots for their respective wards, it said.

"It's a well-known fact that people already drink in parks,” Moise said in the release..Moise said the pilot will allow for the exploration of “responsible implementation of public alcohol consumption.”

Similar motions have been tabled at Toronto city council a number of times in recent years, but none have been successful. Last year, after Toronto—St. Paul's Coun. Josh Matlow brought forward a motion to launch a pilot program for public alcohol consumption, former mayor, John Tory, moved to delay lifting the city’s ban on drinking in public until at least 2023.

Matlow wanted the city to run the pilot project between 11 a.m. and 9 p.m. from May 21 to Oct. 31. Instead, Tory’s motion was carried by a vote of 17-2.

In the meantime, staff were directed to submit a report to Parks, Forestry and Recreation outlining the city’s options for drinking in parks, based on results of community consultations, safety considerations and a review of what other jurisdictions with similar programs have learned.

In Wednesday’s release, Moise says his and Carroll’s motion “will see a pilot realized this year, reflecting the growing interest to allow drinking in parks that began during the pandemic as a safer alternative to indoor gathering.”

The release also noted that major cities, such as Vancouver, Edmonton and Calgary, are already piloting similar programs.

The councillors said that the pilots would “centre a public health and harm-reduction approach,” and would also consider needs such as public washroom availability and clean-up.

The motion will be considered by city council during this week's session. If adopted, the pilot will begin on July 1st and run until Oct. 9th.