TORONTO — Beer, wine and other boozy beverages can now officially be consumed in certain Toronto parks as part of a time-limited pilot project launched by the city on Wednesday.
Residents aged 19 and older can legally and responsibly enjoy alcoholic drinks in 27 parks across the city until Oct. 9, including at Queen's Park, Corktown Common and Earlscourt Park, where officials formally launched the initiative.
"Toronto is the first city in Ontario to introduce a pilot program of this kind," said Coun. Shelley Carroll, who brought forward the motion to initiate the project. "We know that all eyes are upon us across Ontario."
Carroll said the program is based on experiences in other Canadian cities, as well as public health guidance.
It is widely accepted in Toronto that many residents already drink alcohol in parks, and city officials have said that most people do so respectfully and responsibly.
"Maybe we are acknowledging that this has been going on for a long time, and to guarantee enjoyment we're wrapping some rules around it," Carroll said.
There have been no tickets issued for drinking in parks so far this year, said Carleton Grant, director of policy and strategic planning at Toronto's Parks, Forestry and Recreation division.
"The only time this has been an issue for us is in 2020 and 2021 during the pandemic when bars and nightclubs and restaurants were closed and the parks became the de facto place to socialize and drink," he said.
While bylaw officers already rarely enforce rules around drinking in parks, Grant said they will be taking an education-first approach during the pilot. Bylaw officers will not ticket minors, ask for ID or carry breathalyzers, Carroll said.
Paola Gomez, a frequent user of Earlscourt Park, said she welcomed the pilot and the opportunity it brings for Torontonians to enjoy public spaces.
"Creating the space for regulation in parks of things that are already happening is the best way to address the current issues," said Gomez, who said she doesn't personally consume alcohol.
Alexandre Leal said he thinks the initiative will help Toronto officially catch up with an activity that already goes on.
"It will be a good opportunity for everyone to come here, chill and actually come to a park and not be staying at home," he said.
Dan Malleck, a professor at Brock University, who specializes in drug and alcohol regulation and policy, said Ontario lags behind a lot of the provinces outside of the Maritimes – which appear uninterested in drinking-in-parks initiatives – possibly because of lingering sentiments from temperance movements in the 19th and early 20th century.
"The voices of temperance, the voices of anti-alcohol were attached to people who lived in Toronto, so it's not surprising that Toronto has this legacy of being afraid of drinking," he said.
"People are so afraid of that kind of change, so afraid of people being allowed to enjoy themselves."
In addition to creating equity for residents who don't have a balcony or public outdoor space to consume alcohol, Malleck said there's research showing health benefits of social connectedness, which he said can arise from activities like drinking in parks.
A Toronto survey on responsible alcohol use in parks earlier this year found 44 per cent of respondents supported the idea, while 34 per cent expressed some degree of opposition and 21 per cent were neutral. Most concerns revolved around public intoxication, disruptive behaviour and litter or soiling of public spaces.
Malleck noted it's already technically illegal to be drunk and disorderly in public, regardless of the parks initiative.
"This is allowing people who are generally following the rules, following the law, respecting the law to do something that a reasonable adult is allowed legally to do," he said.
"It's very moderate ... and then, over time, hopefully things will open up a little more so there may be more places or there might not be as many restrictions."
Toronto's program is in part based on the experiences of other Canadian cities, such as Vancouver, Edmonton and Calgary, that have recently expanded similar programs.
Calgary allows people to drink at some parks where residents can book public picnic tables or use them on a first-come, first-serve basis, while Edmonton voted to allow drinking in designated parks permanently back in February.
Drinking while having a meal in a picnic area or some parks is allowed in Montreal and Quebec City, but banned in other parts of Quebec.
In May, the province of Saskatchewan passed a bill giving municipalities and park authorities the power to allow or not allow liquor consumption for those of legal drinking age, and Regina is set to debate the idea later this month.
Most of the parks that are part of the Toronto project are in the downtown core, with only two in east-end Scarborough, two in North York and none in west-end Etobicoke.
The city said parks were selected based on criteria that included park size, access to washrooms, water fountains and transit.
The pilot program's rules prevent alcohol from being consumed within two metres of certain areas – including playgrounds, wading pools, splashpads and outdoor swimming pools – and prohibit serving or selling alcohol at a park.
The city is set to study data from the pilot project after it wraps, with council then expected to make a decision on the issue in the future.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Aug. 2, 2023.
Tyler Griffin, The Canadian Press
