Toronto Councillors Say Ford’s Noise Bylaw Changes Are Making So Many People Suffer
They're fighting to reverse his "unconscionable decision" to allow construction 7 days a week.
Two Toronto city councillors are asking that Ontario reverse its changes to the city's noise bylaw, which extended construction hours for non-essential projects, to give residents their peace and quiet.
In a tweet on Tuesday, councillor Kristyn Wong-Tam urged Premier Doug Ford to reconsider the extended construction hours that allow construction work from 6 a.m. to 10 p.m. seven days a week (construction related to the health care sector can operate 24 hours a day).
"It's been 16 long months since Ford overrode the City's noise bylaw," said Wong-Tam. "It's time for him to give Torontonians back their sleep."
Councillor Josh Matlow seconded a motion put forth by Wong-Tam on Wednesday, which asks the Ontario government to repeal the amendments to the bylaw and allow the City of Toronto to regulate construction noise.
"I have heard from too many Torontonians whose mental health and work has suffered from this greedy giveaway to developers. Extending construction hours should have never happened in the first place, but it's certainly well past time that this decision was reversed," Matlow wrote in a statement.
Residents have been complaining about disruptive noise levels for over a year, but the provincial regulation is set to remain in effect until October 7, 2021.
Speaking about the decision in April 2020, Ford said it would help "build essential infrastructure faster" for those who require critical care during the pandemic.