The Ford government declares BYOB summer
The province is set to allow alcohol consumption at outdoor events—but there’s fine print
Spring is just around the corner, and with it, the possibility of cracking a cold one while strolling through a farmers’ market.
As first reported by 680 Radio, Doug Ford’s government is planning to allow people to bring and consume their own booze at certain outdoor events. The new legislation will apply to municipality-designated cultural or community events across Ontario starting April 30.
Related: Toronto’s pedal pubs can now legally serve booze on board
Getting there, however, may still require a few twists of the proverbial corkscrew. Any municipality lacking a law authorizing the use of alcohol in public will have to pass one, which could be a stumbling block: it was only three years ago that Toronto city council allowed alcohol consumption in certain parks around the city, and even that came with significant opposition. It may take some back and forth between the province and the city before the public will know where and where not to imbibe.
Related: An Etobicoke bar has been accused of buying and selling stolen alcohol
Residents shouldn’t take this as permission to drink just anywhere: organizers of each event will have to apply for a permit from their municipality before their attendees can quaff with abandon. In other words, events would have to choose to be booze-friendly in the first place, and individual licences could come with their own restrictions.
Until the province provides more details on the new policy, it’s unclear how exactly all this will work. Still, it’s one step toward a more laissez-faire street festival summer, and we’ll raise a glass to that.
Anthony Milton is a freelance journalist based in Toronto specializing in long-form magazine writing. He previously worked as an assistant editor at Toronto Life, where he launched the Front Row newsletter. He regularly contributes all sorts of stories to the magazine, including deep dives on sports, business and housing as well as short-form commentary on our ever-changing city, from its obsession with cherry blossoms to its maddening NIMBYism. His work has also appeared in Maclean’s, Ricochet, TVO, the Trillium and more.
