Mayor Olivia Chow plans to keep libraries open 7 days a week

Toronto Mayor Olivia Chow announced an ambitious plan on Sunday to have a seven-day-a-week library service across the city.

Starting in 2025, Chow says 16 additional public library branches will expand their hours of operation from Monday to Saturday and 33 branches will add Sunday service with the aim to provide year-round service at 100 library branches by July 2026.

“Libraries are one of our greatest tools to make our city more equal,” Chow told reporters at a press conference inside the Wychwood library branch. “They give people a sense of belonging and community. They provide free access to learning, computers, the internet, support through library workers and unique tools like 3D printers, and even sound studios.”

“They are home to our youth hubs and free programming for children. That’s why today, I’m so very proud to announce that we will be making sure all 100 libraries across the city are finally open 7 days a week year-round,” she added.

The move to expand library services comes amid a surge in their use. Earlier this month, a survey from Forum Research Inc. found that 81 per cent of Toronto residents used the library in the past year, a 13 per cent increase from pre-pandemic levels in 2019.

The City previously allocated almost $11 million in the 2024 budget to add Monday service, along with expanded morning and evening hours across eight branches this year. Officials say the changes helped increase traffic by more than 60 per cent, compared to a 6 per cent increase at branches where the hours did not change.

This City also added Sunday service at eight additional branches across Toronto last month.

Chow is now proposing another expansion of operating hours that would cost an additional $8 million.

As a free resource for everyone in the city, officials hope that more open library hours will help advance the City’s poverty reduction strategy.

“I often say, the best thing a library can be is open,” City Librarian Vickery Bowles said. “Toronto’s library plays a critical role in the city — whether it is free access to information, support from our expert staff, study space, wifi, workspace, a place to hang out after school or a venue to catch a cultural program, we offer something for everyone.”

“The Mayor’s support for increased open hours at branches across the city means there will be even more opportunities to build success, resilience and well-being for all,” Bowles added.