Toronto’s alcohol in parks program a continued success, report finds

Two men sit with cans of beer as they have their lunch in Trinity Bellwoods Park, in Toronto, Tuesday, Aug. 2, 2023. Today is the first day of a pilot project by the City Toronto to allow drinking alcohol in public parks. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Chris Young

The City of Toronto’s program permitting alcohol consumption in public parks appears to be a success to parkgoers, with a new report revealing a “high level of satisfaction” and few disturbances arising since its inception.

The Alcohol in Parks program was first piloted in 2023, allowing visitors aged 19 and over to drink their own alcohol at 27 parks across Toronto.

In 2024, the city permanently approved the program and added more parks to the list, approving a total of 45 parks where visitors can crack a cold one.

With the permanent program, at least one park in each ward would be designated for “personal alcohol consumption.” However, drinking is restricted in some areas, including playgrounds and swimming pools.

A March report by the City of Toronto verifies that the Alcohol in Parks program has a 87 per cent overall satisfaction rate, and has not led to a marked increase in complaints about noise or other disruptive behaviour.

The vast majority of respondents (85 per cent) said they felt safe and 73 per cent said those drinking in the parks were considerate.

Most visitors—83 per cent—also said that their park was clean.

There were also no tickets issued related to alcohol in the parks, according to Toronto police.

The report noted the overall rate of 311 calls for issues such as noise decreased on average in 2024 compared to 2023. However, the report mentions it’s not possible to pinpoint a direct correlation between service requests and alcohol consumption in parks, adding that factors such as “weather, special events and public gatherings” can impact the number of calls.

The study was partly based on visitor responses to surveys performed from Aug. 2 to Oct. 20, 2024. The survey was available on the city’s website and on QR codes on park signs. A social media campaign was also created to help spread word of the program and encourage more feedback.

A total of 683 participated in the survey, with 560 saying they had visited a park that was part of the program. Of those 560, only 58 had visited a park that was “recently added” to the program.

The report also used data from calls to Toronto police, including calls for excessive noise, disruptive behaviour or overflowing garbage bins.

One area for improvement appears to be clarity on the rules of the program, including the hours of drinking and locations where alcohol consumption is allowed.

Seventy per cent of respondents agreed that the information on the program website is clear, and 56 per cent said the information on park signs was “easy to understand.” However, only 40 per cent said they knew when drinking was allowed, and 39 per cent were sure of the approved locations where they could drink within the park.

Visitors may be less confused with the addition of updated entrance signs, which will be added this spring, according to the city.