Police to enforce on-street paid parking on stat holidays in Toronto

Drivers will soon no longer be able to park free of charge on Toronto streets during statutory holidays.

The Toronto Police Service (TPS) announced that as of Feb. 19, 2024, officers will begin enforcing on-street paid parking on specific dates.

In a news release, a TPS spokesperson wrote that the parking enforcement unit did not implement paid on-street parking on stat holidays in the past due to bylaws and operational choices, noting that the change is a response to “the evolving needs of our growing city, where the demand for parking has significantly increased.”

Additionally, TPS says the city needs curb space to honour streetcar corridors, bike lanes, CaféTO, and other infrastructure developments.

“This change relates to on-street parking only, enforced by the Toronto Police Service’s Parking Enforcement Unit,” a spokesperson wrote.

“This is an operational decision made by TPS, who enforce on-street parking. Historically, it has been a practice not to enforce, but there are no bylaws that explicitly exempt statutory holidays from enforcement, and this change aligns with existing bylaws that permit enforcement on those days.”

On-street parking rates are controlled by and collected for the City of Toronto.