Public consumption of alcohol is now allowed in 27 parks in Toronto until Oct. 9 with the city's new pilot program.

Early on the morning of Aug. 2, Coun. Shelley Carroll, alongside city staff, kicked-off the program at Earlscourt Park. Earlscourt and the other parks now have extra recycling bins and washrooms that are available 24 hours a day to facilitate any potential increase in people at the parks.

While drinking in the participating parks is now allowed, public intoxication is still illegal. Other rules have been set in place to make sure alcohol is being consumed safely. The rules include that “alcohol may not be consumed at outdoor swimming pools or decks; or within two meters of playgrounds, wading pools, splash pads or skateboard parks at the pilot program locations.”

“Our bylaw officers for municipal licensing will be taking an education first approach. And they'll take that approach in all parks. Both in and out of the pilot to help folks learn the new rules. Over the course of the pilot, which runs until October 9, from [August 2nd], staff will have a chance to evaluate whether this is a program that we can accommodate safely, without compromising the experience of other park users into the long run,” says Carroll.

The parks were selected through councillors volunteering parks in their wards to participate in the program. With over 1,500 parks in the city, the parks had to fit a specific criteria to be considered. These include access to drinkable water and public washrooms, as well as a safe distance away from bodies of water and steep hills.

Toronto is the first municipality in Ontario to adopt this pilot program but not the first in the country; Montreal and Vancouver have run programs previously and Alberta allows it throughout the whole province.

“We looked at [other cities and] the way their pilots played out, and how they made sure that it could run as smoothly as smoothly as possible and then work from there,” says Carroll. “In some of those cities, they chose to do another year of pilot after that with an expansion of locations. So we'll know when we see the data.”

To make sure the by-laws are being followed, there will be regular patrols of the 27 parks. The city has not hired any additional bylaw officers. Carroll says there are currently 31 bylaw officers in Toronto that deal with parks and open spaces.

Park hours will remain the same throughout the duration of the pilot program.

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