City council votes to extend drinking in Toronto parks pilot until March 2024

Torontonians who fancy to crack a cold one during the dead of winter at an outdoor public park will soon be able to do so.

On Thursday, City council approved a motion extending Toronto’s Alcohol in Parks pilot program until Mar. 31, 2024.

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It was adopted by a vote of 17 to 3.

The pilot, initially set to run between Aug. 2 and Oct. 9, permitted those over 19 to consume beer and other alcoholic beverages in 27 city parks.

Most participating locations were in downtown Toronto, while a few were in North York and Scarborough. No parks in Etobicoke opted into the program.

In her motion, Toronto-Danforth Coun. Paula Fletcher said residents in her ward, where five parks are part of the program, “have expressed their appreciation for the pilot program as they have enjoyed the ability to have a drink with their family and friends.”

According to city staff, between Aug. 2 and Sept. 24, two alcohol-related complaints were made involving the parks participating in the pilot, while 28 were filed in non-participating parks.

“Generally, the city has found that people complied with the guidelines set out by the Alcohol in Parks pilot program, and the number of complaints received was low,” a city spokesperson said earlier this week.

Councillors whose parks were part of the initial pilot run can opt-out if they do not want to participate in the extended period.

City staff will report back to council in November to include an updated list of participating parks and any additional safety restrictions required for the winter season that need to be implemented.

Results of the initial run of the pilot program are set to be reported to council sometime in the first quarter of 2024.