Will noise invade our homes? Bylaw would threaten our peace

Ulla Colgrass —

News about a change to the city’s noise bylaw may sound dull enough to put a person to sleep. In reality, the opposite is true and sleep could be in short supply if a new bylaw is passed by the city’s Municipal Licensing and Standards Committee (MLS). With the proposed changes, citizens of Toronto could be forced to accept an 85 decibel (dBA) level of noise inside their homes, coming from an outside source such as a club, construction site or outdoor concert. That’s louder than a snow blower and equal to diesel trucks driving by your home. The window for this potential noise would be from 7 am to 11 pm.

The current Toronto noise bylaw protects residents from being disturbed in their homes at all hours. If necessary, citizens are allowed to give evidence in court of the disturbance. Now MLS want both of these general prohibitions gone, and the consequences for our health and privacy would be dire.

New York City’s limit for homes is 42 dBA, and Ontario’s provincial legislation limits such noise to 50 dBA.  85dBA would overwhelm any normal family conversation (typically at 60dBA) and clearly create hardship for children, the elderly, night shift workers and others who need to sleep between 7 am and 11 pm. Also, many people work at home.

High levels of unwanted noise are an acknowledged health hazard. Noise not only affects normal activities – such as reading, relaxing, listening to music or concentrating on work – but results in elevated incidence of heart disease, stroke and insomnia. Children’s ability to learn is markedly lowered by noise, according to studies, and we all become short-tempered and annoyed. 

While other culturally vibrant cities are creating legislation that serves the needs of people to live, work and play, Toronto could soon be polluting the city with untrammeled noise. MLS proposes that people call them to have noise measurements taken in their home or workplace to check if the noise exceeds 85 decibels. That renders the bylaw mute, because the 85 decibels are already far too loud for comfort, and people need to call MLS to get a visit from a noise inspector to determine if the noise is excessive. Such inspectors are rarely available, and most of them work Monday to Friday from 9 am to 5 pm. That adds up to no protection!

Instead of relying on a solution from those who suffer from the noise, the responsibility should rest on the people who make the offending noise. Licenses and permits from MLS should only be given to businesses who can demonstrate that they will operate in a responsible manner without polluting the neighbourhood with noise.

How did this bylaw proposal get so far off the rails? Remember former mayor Rob Ford’s interest in the music scene in Austin, Texas? That city coincidentally has a noise limit at 85 decibels in public parks and venues. Mayor John Tory has now added his voice to making Toronto a similar “music city” and has established a music office to facilitate it. There may be a connection there, although Toronto already is known as a cultural mecca with a flourishing music life that offers not just pop and rock, but opera, symphony orchestras, jazz, musicals, world music, chamber music, new and mixed-media creations.

The potential for noise pollution in Toronto is great due to our many parks, arenas, open-air venues, squares, roof tops and party boats that could be used for events. This is not an issue of “downtown vs. suburbia” or “business vs. residents”. Residents are business too – they own businesses, work in businesses and buy from them, so we have every reason to find ways to co-exist.

MLS is still working on this bylaw. We hope they will expand their knowledge and read the many studies available on how noise is managed in other vibrant cities, or at least listen to some of the experts who spoke at the recent public meeting held by the MLS at city hall.

People can object to the threat of these noise bylaw changes by emailing Jessica Walters at MLS: jwalter2@toronto.ca , or sign the online petition, visit: https://www.change.org/p/jwalter2-toronto-ca-stop-freight-train-level-noise-being-allowed-in-your-house-toronto

Contributing to this article are:

Tamara Bernstein, writer & educator

Michael Colgrass, composer & educator

Moshe Hammer, violinist and educator