Drinking alcohol in our parks my soon become a full-time lawful outing.
Drinking booze in the parks may soon become a permanent summer outing in Toronto.
A pilot project studying the drinking of alcohol in 27 parks in the City of Toronto has been given a glowing thumbs up and may soon become law.
A Parks, Forestry and Recreation report is recommending that City Council approve the pilot project and possibly expand the program to at least one park in each Ward where drinking is allowed.
“Overall, the Alcohol in Parks Pilot Program was implemented with a high level of satisfaction among park visitors, few issues arising, and minimal operational impacts,” according to the manager of the Forestry Department.
Study shows that residents love drinking booze in our parks and there has been little complaints to 311, police or hospital visits.
The report said a vast majority, or 92 per cent, of those who visited a pilot park and answered a experience survey said ‘they were satisfied with their visit.’
“Respondents felt safe, and people who chose to drink at the park were considerate,” according to the study.
It stated there were minimal increases in 311 calls for noise, behaviour, garbage or recycling bins at the pilot parks, even though there were other special events taking place at some of the parks.
“There was no increased need for police response at the vast majority of pilot parks,” according to the report. “And no increase in hospital emergency department visits due to alcohol compared to 2022.”
A City report recommends that Council approve a pilot project of drinking alcohol in parks across Toronto.
It said a public opinion survey of Toronto residents showed that 46 per cent of those polled were ‘supportive of allowing drinking in parks,’ 23 per cent were neutral and 30 per cent were opposed.
The report recommends that Council can make the pilot parks permanent drinking locations and include at least one alcohol park in each of the City’s 25 Wards, including Etobicoke Lakeshore.
This happy resident is all thumbs up about drinking in the park.
It said Forestry officers will continue to monitor the drinking activities and update local Councillors.
Officials said those consulted for their feedback included: Toronto Police Service, Toronto Paramedic Services, Toronto Public Health, Municipal Licencing and Standards, Solid Waste Management Services, the City’s Legal Services and Customer Experience – 311.