Public Commons

• Description of the Toronto Municipal Code

Part of City Of Toronto Bylaws

The law - the City of Toronto Act, 2006 - passed by our provincial legislative assembly at Queen's Park - tells us, among other things, who governs the City of Toronto, and how.

It tells us that City Council can make laws, called "by-laws", which govern the city and how it works. Those by-laws that pertain to the City as a whole are compiled into The City of Toronto Municipal Code. The Municipal Code is regularly up-dated. The Code has a Table of Contents. For up-dated versions and for by-laws that are passed or changed between quarters, see the City of Toronto's website at http://www.toronto.ca/legdocs/municode/index.htm. The Municipal Code, which is also indexed, is a good starting place for researching laws that apply to the City of Toronto.

Since 2004, CELOS researchers have looked primarily at issues or by-laws now contained in Code, especially the Parks By-law, contained in Chapter 608 of the Code.

In 2009, CELOS summarized the Toronto Parks by-law ch. 608 in the context of looking at the practical effects of laws and policies in local parks.