Toronto City Council Votes to Drop Masking Mandate March 21 Alongside Province

A woman wearing a face mask walks along Front Street in Toronto on Nov. 1, 2021. The Canadian Press/Evan Buhler

Toronto’s mask bylaw will be dropped when most of the provincial masking regulations are lifted later this month, the city says.

Toronto City Council voted to lift its masking mandate on March 21 following a vote on March 9.

The city’s mask bylaw was previously scheduled to expire on April 8, but Dr. Eileen de Villa, Toronto’s medical officer of health, recommended in a report submitted to city council that the bylaw be dropped alongside the province.

“The city’s mask bylaw was always intended to be time-limited and was enacted at a time when a city-wide bylaw was required to manage the significant health risks posed by COVID-19 when there was either no vaccine or, later, when the population was only partially vaccinated,” de Villa wrote in the report (pdf) submitted March 9.

“Fortunately, given the high rate of vaccine coverage and current epidemiological trends, Toronto can consider removing these regulations in concert with the Government of Ontario.”

On March 9, Ontario’s chief medical officer of health Dr. Kieran Moore announced the lifting of the provincial mask mandate on March 21 in most public places, with the exception of certain settings such as public transit, health care settings, and long-term care homes. The province is set to remove its mandatory mask mandate in all settings on April 27.

After the province’s announcement, the Toronto council voted 24-1 in favour of a motion to follow de Villa’s recommendation to scrap the city’s mask bylaw as of March 21.

The report noted that the lifting of masking requirements “does not preclude individuals from wearing a mask,” and Toronto Public Health continues to recommend the measure in crowded indoor spaces with limited ventilation.

Ward 18 Councillor John Filion was the only member of the council to vote against de Villa’s recommendation, saying he finds it “too soon” to lift the mask mandate.

“My version of learning to live with COVID means learning to live with a relatively small inconvenience of wearing masks in order to protect all of us,” he said during the council meeting.

In addition to the mask bylaw, de Villa’s report noted that another bylaw for apartment buildings—which requires owners and operators to provide hand sanitizers, close non-essential common areas, establish an enhanced cleaning schedule, and post Toronto Public Health signage—will maintain its original scheduled to be lifted on April 8.