Item - 2025.HL23.3
Tracking Status
- This item was considered by Board of Health on April 1, 2025. The Board of Health postponed consideration of this item. Consult the text of the decision for further information on the deferral.
HL23.3 - Noise Action Plan Update
- Decision Type:
- ACTION
- Status:
- Deferred
- Wards:
- All
Board Decision
The Board of Health:
1. Deferred consideration of this item to the next meeting of the Board of Health.
Decision Advice and Other Information
The Deputy Medical Officer of Health and Associate Medical Officer of Health gave a presentation on the Noise Action Plan Update.
Origin
Summary
Noise is raised by Toronto residents as an issue of concern. To address this concern, the City of Toronto has many initiatives guided by the 2019 Noise Action Plan and the updated City of Toronto Noise By-law. Toronto Public Health’s (TPH) mandate is determined by the Ontario Public Health Standards. Noise is not described as an environmental health hazard in the Ontario Public Health Standards. Toronto Public Health consults and provides advice to other City divisions in their work to mitigate the impacts of excessive noise.
The 2019 Noise Action Plan contains recommended actions within the authority of each City division to reduce excessive noise in Toronto. Although the COVID-19 pandemic resulted in pauses to some City operations, Toronto Public Health and other City divisions have since made substantial progress in the Noise Action Plan. For example, Municipal Licensing and Standards completed the Noise By-law Review in 2024 in consultation with Toronto Public Health, other City divisions, and stakeholders. The review identified new efforts to mitigate noise in Toronto.
This report, as requested by City Council through Item 2024.EC9.5, Implementation Review of the Noise By-law, provides an updated review of the health impacts of noise. The latest research continues to describe excessive noise exposure impacts on cardiovascular, cognitive, sleep, and mental health outcomes. These are smaller relative impacts than other environmental and social determinant of health factors on these outcomes. This means that while there is evidence to support links between excessive noise and adverse health impacts on individuals, the population-level impact of noise is limited relative to other factors that cause population morbidity and mortality.
Background Information
https://www.toronto.ca/legdocs/mmis/2025/hl/bgrd/backgroundfile-253627.pdf
(March 31, 2025) Presentation from the Deputy Medical Officer of Health and Director Health Protection, and the Associate Medical Officer of Health on Noise Action Plan Update
https://www.toronto.ca/legdocs/mmis/2025/hl/bgrd/backgroundfile-254198.pdf
Communications
(March 28, 2025) E-mail from Barbara Cook (HL.New)
(March 28, 2025) E-mail from Leslie Dolman (HL.New)
(March 28, 2025) E-mail from Ingrid Buday (HL.New)
(March 28, 2025) E-mail from Mark Hall (HL.New)
(March 28, 2025) E-mail from Cynthia Webb (HL.New)
(March 28, 2025) E-mail from Kate Chung (HL.New)
(March 28, 2025) E-mail from Jessica Bouchard (HL.New)
(March 28, 2025) E-mail from Sue and Barry DeGrandis (HL.New)
(March 28, 2025) E-mail from Dennis Ing (HL.New)
(March 28, 2025) E-mail from Nada Badr (HL.New)
(March 28, 2025) E-mail from Kathleen Payne (HL.New)
(March 28, 2025) E-mail from Sunny Widerman (HL.New)
(March 28, 2025) E-mail from Francis McInerney (HL.New)
(March 28, 2025) E-mail from Laurence Olivo (HL.New)
(March 28, 2025) E-mail from Paul Potvin (HL.New)
(March 31, 2025) E-mail from Arnella Renda (HL.New)
(March 31, 2025) E-mail from Catherine Mitchell (HL.New)
(March 31, 2025) E-mail from Heather Sloman (HL.New)
(March 31, 2025) E-mail from Zhixi Li (HL.New)
(March 29, 2025) E-mail from Edmond Kelly (HL.New)
(March 29, 2025) E-mail from Melissa Polidori (HL.New)
(March 29, 2025) E-mail from Arthur Klimowicz (HL.New)
(March 29, 2025) E-mail from Catherine Douglas (HL.New)
(March 29, 2025) E-mail from Kathy Parsons (HL.New)
(March 30, 2025) E-mail from Mark Stern (HL.New)
(March 30, 2025) E-mail from Fabio Ovettini (HL.New)
(March 30, 2025) E-mail from Jim and Sharon McClurg (HL.New)
(March 30, 2025) E-mail from Maureen Kapral (HL.New)
(March 30, 2025) E-mail from Alja Pirosok (HL.New)
(March 30, 2025) E-mail from Joshua McFaul (HL.New)
(March 30, 2025) E-mail from Harold B. Smith (HL.New)
(March 30, 2025) E-mail from Tamara Bernstein (HL.New)
(March 31, 2025) E-mail from Juan Naranjo (HL.New)
(March 31, 2025) E-mail from Clare Kumar (HL.New)
(March 31, 2025) E-mail from Alana Sparks (HL.New)
(March 31, 2025) E-mail from Susan Fitzpatrick (HL.New)
(March 31, 2025) E-mail from Trish Ou (HL.New)
(March 31, 2025) E-mail from Gregory Johnson (HL.New)
(March 31, 2025) E-mail from Ron Straatsma (HL.New)
(March 31, 2025) E-mail from Stacey Curtis (HL.New)
(April 1, 2025) E-mail from Anita Dermer (HL.New)
(April 1, 2025) Submission from Randi Libman (HL.New)
(April 1, 2025) Submission from Clare Kumar (HL.New)
(April 1, 2025) E-mail from Miguel Avila-Velarde 2 (HL.New)
(April 1, 2025) Letter from Fabio Ovettini (HL.New)
(April 1, 2025) E-mail from Barbara Cook 2 (HL.New)
(April 1, 2025) E-mail from Julia Hamer (HL.New)
(April 1, 2025) E-mail from K. Ross (HL.New)
(April 1, 2025) E-mail from Karen Steward (HL.New)
(April 1, 2025) Submission from Ingrid Buday, No More Noise Toronto (HL.New)
https://www.toronto.ca/legdocs/mmis/2025/hl/comm/communicationfile-188832.pdf
(April 1, 2025) Multiple Communications from 58 communications with similar text were received between Friday, March 28, 2025 at 4:47 PM and Tuesday April 1, 2025 At 9:13 AM (HL.New)
https://www.toronto.ca/legdocs/mmis/2025/hl/comm/communicationfile-188797.pdf
Speakers
Ingrid Buday, No More Noise Toronto
Nicole Corrado
Harris Rosen
Leslie Dolman
Miguel Avila Velarde
Leen Taher
Fabio Ovettini
Sally Gustin, Yonge Corridor Condominium Association (YCCA)
Clare Kumar
Benjamin Tzelnik
Motions
That consideration of the item be deferred to the next meeting of the Board of Health.
That the Board of Health:
1. Request the Acting Medical Officer of Health to support Municipal Licensing and Standards in fulfilling City Council’s direction in Item EC16.4 to work with waste collection operators and other relevant stakeholders to develop and publish online guidance documents for waste collectors, property managers and residents, that may be referred to for best practices to mitigate noise from waste collection operations.
2. Request that the Provincial and Federal governments develop a noise monitoring program with the objective of creating long-term data that could inform population health studies.