Item - 2025.HL24.4

The Acting Medical Officer of Health recommends that:  

1. The Board of Health request the Medical Officer of Health collaborate with Municipal Licensing and Standards to assess changes made through the Implementation Review of the Noise By-law in Item EC9.5 that is intended to minimise the health impacts of noise.

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.

There are no financial impacts associated with the recommendations of this report. The Chief Financial Officer and Treasurer has reviewed this report and agrees with the information as presented in the Financial Impact Section.