In response to Council direction (2023.DM6.5), this report proposes an approach, including necessary by-law amendments, to allow responsible personal consumption of alcohol in Toronto parks on a pilot program basis from August to October 2023. The pilot program design is based on public health guidance, public safety, operational considerations, and experiences from Canadian jurisdictions that recently implemented pilot programs. Information from Toronto Public Health is provided on the harm reduction, treatment and education programs available. The pilot will be evaluated to assess the impacts to park visitors and the surrounding community. The report recommends that staff report on the evaluation results in Q1 2024. The parks proposed for inclusion in this pilot were arrived at in three steps. First, staff led a data-driven, technical review and generated a list of parks meeting all or most of the technical selection criteria. Next, staff reviewed the list for each City ward to short-list the most suitable pilot parks from an operational perspective. Lastly, staff met with interested councillors, to discuss the pilot and park options in their wards, leveraging councillors' local knowledge of park amenities and uses. All parks proposed for inclusion in the pilot program have been confirmed by the local councillor.
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