Toronto pilot allowing alcohol drinking in some parks could become permanent

Toronto’s pilot project that allowed residents to drink alcohol in certain parks is moving to potentially become permanent, according to a report from the city.

On March 15, city staff recommended the transition of the 27 pilot parks into park locations where personal alcohol consumption is allowed on a permanent basis “with restrictions for health and safety.”

The findings from the report done on the pilot said that 92 per cent of people who visited a pilot park and responded to an experience survey shared they felt safe and those who chose to drink were considerate.

Between Aug. 2 and Sep. 24, the 27 parks included in the pilot, including popular spots such as Trinity-Bellwoods Park, Christie Pits and Riverdale Park East, only received two complaints related to alcohol, and no charges were laid. During the same time period, the city received 28 complaints related to alcohol in non-pilot parks. One person was charged.

“There were minimal increases in service requests to 311 for noise, behaviour or garbage/recycling bins at pilot parks, but not all of these are attributable to the pilot, given other activities taking place in the parks, including special events,” the report stated.

“Further, there was no increased need for police response at the vast majority of pilot parks, and no increase in hospital emergency department visits due to alcohol, compared to the preceding year.”

A public opinion survey was conducted to gauge the sentiment of the general Toronto population about the pilot, with results showing that 46 per cent of respondents were supportive of allowing drinking in parks, 23 per cent were neutral, and 30 per cent were opposed.

The city chose to move ahead with the Alcohol in Parks pilot for the summer of 2023 after years of debate at city hall. The new program came a few years after the Ontario government gave the municipality the ability to allow this. Locations were recommended by city staff to include parks with washrooms, water fountains and nearby public transit access.

None of the recommended locations were beside schools or right on the waterfront.

The rules of the project required alcoholic drinks to be consumed on park property and only between 5:30 a.m. and midnight. People drinking those beverages were required to stay two metres away from playgrounds, wading pools, splash pads and skateboard parks.

Residents were reminded that alcoholic beverages can’t be served to, or consumed by, anyone below 19 years old, and people were encouraged to recycle the empties at the park or at home.

The findings of the evaluation also pave the path for local councillors to work with the city to expand the number of parks where drinking is permitted to include at least one park in every ward, given it meets the council-approved public health and safety criteria.

City staff say there are no financial impacts resulting from the adoption of the pilot turning permanent, and that the addition or removal of designation for alcohol consumption in the parks can be done using existing resources.

The report will go before next Thursday’s Economic and Development Committee, and before a full council in April.

With files from Nick Westoll and Michael Ranger