Photo credit: Toronto Today
A new city staff proposal recommends a significant rewrite of Toronto’s rules governing street vending and busking. If approved by the city council in April, the change would cut permitting costs, reduce outdated restrictions and spell the end of a 24-year ban on new vendor licences in the downtown core.
Toronto Today reports that the proposal comes after vendors told the city their industry is being strangled by excessive fees, confusing rules and restrictions on when and where they can operate. The vendors – many of whom own hot dog carts and other types of food trucks – argued their presence boosts the “cultural vibrancy” of the city, according to the report.
One of the most notable changes could directly affect the downtown core. In 2002, the council put a moratorium on new vending locations over concerns that the small businesses were becoming too prevalent and crowding out space on busy sidewalks.
Over two decades later, the ban worked as intended. Before the moratorium came into effect, there were 134 unique sidewalk vendors in the downtown core. By the end of 2025, there were just 47, a nearly 65 per cent decrease.
However, some restrictions would still be in place to address longstanding concerns of overconcentration. New food vendors would need to be positioned at least 25 metres from schools and existing restaurants, and must ensure there’s enough space for people to pass on the sidewalk.
The city is also proposing to do away with strict time limits that dictate how long vendors can stay in one place.
Under the current rules, food trucks parked in designated street spots are forced to pack up and move after just five hours. Vendors complained that this five-hour window barely covers the setup and teardown process and cuts into tbheir daily revenue.
The new rules would more than double that limit, allowing food trucks to operate in the same spot for up to 12 hours a day, meaning they can serve both lunch and dinner from the same place.
Toronto’s busker scene could also be in for major reforms.
Currently, street musicians and sidewalk artists can’t use any kind of sound-amplifying device as part of their performance. The proposed changes would allow buskers to plug in between 12 noon and 8 pm daily.
Further, they’d be permitted to sell their own original merch, such as CDs, vinyl records and cassettes, from the street.
If the staff recommendations receive councillors’ approval, the changes won’t go into effect all at once. Instead, the moratorium on new street vendors in the downtown core would be lifted on June 15, ahead of the FIFA World Cup. The fee reductions would take effect at the beginning of next year, with the bulk of the changes implemented by March 1, 2027.
