Toronto public libraries may soon eliminate late fees permanently
Toronto residents may soon not need to worry about paying late fees for overdue library books.
The Toronto Public Library (TPL) has proposed that as part of the city's 2022 operating budget, overdue fines for adults and teens be eliminated.
"I think this is a long time coming," Shawn Mitchell, acting director of Collections and Membership Services at TPL, told CTV News Toronto. "We are a bit behind actually from a number of other library systems who've already gone fines free."
According to Mitchell, the proposal was based on research from the American Library Association that found that late fees did not actually result in more customers returning items on time.
"It actually did the opposite. It discouraged them from coming to the library once they had an amount on their account."
TPL also did their own local research that found overdue fines have a disproportionate impact on racialized and low-income communities. In the first quarter of 2020, the library found that of 147,000 teens and adults who had outstanding fines, 46 per cent were from low-income and racialized areas.
"Research also shows that those communities have also been disproportionately impacted by the pandemic," Mitchell added. "That's another reason why we say this is a really strong push that we should be doing from a social justice lens to ensure that these individuals have the supports they need to recover from the pandemic."
Toronto councillor Paul Ainslie, who sits on the board at TPL, said that he has heard from numerous constituents who have a hard time paying their fines and, as a result, are concerned about using library services.
"I think it's long overdue," he told CTV News Toronto. "It passed quite quickly and we're all very positive about it at the library board."
The city has not been charging late fees for overdue books during the pandemic and in early March, the city announced that it would eliminate library late fees for children.
The response to the lack of late fees has been generally positive, Mitchell said, with some parents saying that overdue fines were sometimes a deterrent for children visiting the library.
For those wondering whether some people will take advantage of the system and not return their books, Mitchell says there will still be fines for lost materials.
After about 40 days following a return date, materials may be marked as lost. The library will send email notifications to borrowers so they have plenty of notice.
Customers may also be charged to replace lost or damaged items.
"However, if they return their item, that fee gets waived. So you bring the item back—don't be afraid to bring the item back, we want the items back—we won't charge you."
The Toronto Public Library generates about $1.4 million annually from late fees, which Mitchell says is less than one per cent of their overall operating budget.
"It's not a significant revenue source," Mitchell said, adding that there are 189 library systems in Canada that have already eliminated late fees.
Ainslie said that he doesn't know why the city would not approve the proposal considering the minimal impact it will make.
"I'm pretty proud to say that the Toronto Public Library isn't run on the backs of people, you know, getting charged their overdue fines," he said.
"Both as a city councillor, a board member and a former chair of the Toronto Public Library I'll be pounding the table in the budget meeting if there is a problem because, you know, if you look at the people that it impacts the most and get the most benefit out of it, I really think that city council shouldn't have any trouble approving it."
The cost of eliminating late fees for children in March was about $600,000 in 2021, according to the city. The library was able to cover half of that cost through fundraising.
Toronto city council is expected to vote on the 2022 operating budget in February.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
Quebec nurse had to clean up after husband's death in Montreal hospital
On a night she should have been mourning, a nurse from Quebec's Laurentians region says she was forced to clean up her husband after he died at a hospital in Montreal.
Northern Ont. lawyer who abandoned clients in child protection cases disbarred
A North Bay, Ont., lawyer who abandoned 15 clients – many of them child protection cases – has lost his licence to practise law.
Bank of Canada officials split on when to start cutting interest rates
Members of the Bank of Canada's governing council were split on how long the central bank should wait before it starts cutting interest rates when they met earlier this month.
Maple Leafs fall to Bruins in Game 3, trail series 2-1
Brad Marchand scored twice, including the winner in the third period, and added an assist as the Boston Bruins downed the Toronto Maple Leafs 4-2 to take a 2-1 lead in their first-round playoff series Wednesday
Cuban government apologizes to Montreal-area family after delivering wrong body
Cuba's foreign affairs minister has apologized to a Montreal-area family after they were sent the wrong body following the death of a loved one.
'It was instant karma': Viral video captures failed theft attempt in Nanaimo, B.C.
Mounties in Nanaimo, B.C., say two late-night revellers are lucky their allegedly drunken antics weren't reported to police after security cameras captured the men trying to steal a heavy sign from a downtown business.
What is changing about Canada's capital gains tax and how does it impact me?
The federal government's proposed change to capital gains taxation is expected to increase taxes on investments and mainly affect wealthy Canadians and businesses. Here's what you need to know about the move.
New Indigenous loan guarantee program a 'really big deal,' Freeland says at Toronto conference
Canada's Deputy Prime Minister Chrystia Freeland was among the 1,700 delegates attending the two-day First Nations Major Projects Coalition (FNMPC) conference that concluded Tuesday in Toronto.
'Life was not fair to him': Daughter of N.B. man exonerated of murder remembers him as a kind soul
The daughter of a New Brunswick man recently exonerated from murder, is remembering her father as somebody who, despite a wrongful conviction, never became bitter or angry.