Item - 2025.EC19.3

The Economic and Community Development Committee:

1. Deferred consideration of the item until the May 6, 2025 meeting of the Economic and Community Development Committee.

This report responds to City Council's direction (MM20.11) to review the 2011 Outdoor Ovens in City Parks Policy to identify opportunities, if any, and to reduce administrative or financial barriers to the community use of outdoor ovens, while also ensuring public health, safety, and liability considerations continue to be met.    

Toronto maintains the largest outdoor public oven network in Canada and facilitates public enjoyment of these amenities both through City-delivered programming and opportunities for individuals and groups to book the ovens for their own use. This review finds that Toronto's outdoor ovens are not used as much as they could be and recommends opportunities to reverse that trend with the recommended removal of booking fees and other administrative processes that may serve as barriers for communities to self-activate these amenities, while continuing to mitigate risk appropriately.