People sit along the waterfront at Humber Bay Park in Toronto on June 28.Andrew Lahodynskyj/The Canadian Press
Toronto residents will be allowed to consume alcohol in a select number of parks in the coming months after city council approved a time-limited pilot program.
The pilot project will run from Aug. 2 to Oct. 9, and allow those 19 and older to drink alcohol at 27 selected parks across the city.
They include Queen’s Park, Trinity Bellwoods Park and Corktown Common in downtown Toronto, with a number of parks added to the original proposed list, including east-end McCleary Park and west-end Cedarvale Park.
Municipal staff told council that drinking in parks has not been a major issue in the past three years, since the earliest stage of the COVID-19 pandemic, and most residents drink in parks respectfully and responsibly.
They said no tickets have been issued in 2023 for illegal drinking in parks.
City officials have said the proposed program is based on “public health guidance, public safety and operational considerations and the experiences of other Canadian cities.”
A permit and licence are still required to sell or serve liquor in any park and park users are prohibited from being publicly intoxicated and from supplying or serving alcohol to anyone under the age of 19.