Mayor Chow announces plans to open Toronto libraries 7 days a week
Set to come before the city council early next year, the plan will see the expansion of the opening hours and programming for all 100 branches by 2026.
On October 27, Toronto Mayor Olivia Chow stood out outside the Toronto Public Library’s (TPL) Wychwood Branch to announce her proposal to open all 100 library branches seven days a week by July 2026.
The plan proposes Sunday service at 33 branches, changing the seasonal Sunday service of 40 branches to a year-round service, and improving Sunday programming at libraries. The plan will also see all libraries be open from 12 p.m. to 5 p.m. on Sundays and nine branches increase their Monday hours.
The initiative, which was a promise during Chow’s election campaign in 2023, will cost C$8 million from the 2025 TPL budget. This comes after the TPL 2024 budget spent C$10 million to add Sunday and Monday hours to select locations, which generated a 61 per cent increase in traffic over the past year, according to a report to the library board.
The report noted that “increased branch hours are a cost-efficient way to increase access to library services that achieve important economic, social and health outcomes for Toronto residents.”
The report also noted the many ways increasing opening hours might respond to the lifestyles of Toronto, which included removing barriers for residents who live busy urban lives, providing a safe, out-of-school destination for children and youth, and expanding opportunities for Toronto residents to “enjoy the city’s and their community’s cultural and literary life.”
First opened in 1883, the Toronto Public Library system has been a staple of the city’s
culture and community. It is now the largest network of public libraries in North
America, with 100 branches scattered city-wide. TPL offers many perks besides simply
borrowing books. Anyone with a library card, which can be obtained for free by eligible individuals, has access to libraries with free wifi, computer access, and various events.
TPL also facilitates copious programs which cater to various interests and demographics, including after-school clubs, computer classes, author events, and the Summer Reading Club, which encourages children to complete their reading goals over summer vacation. The library also offers a variety of online resources and TPL Maps, a program that hands out free tickets to Toronto’s biggest attractions, including the CN Tower, to anyone with a library card.
After the announcement, a press conference was held outside the branch where
Chow told reporters, “Libraries are one of our greatest tools to make our city more equal.”
“I use libraries all the time. I rarely buy books. Why not get them for free?” Grace de Costa, a forensics psychology specialist student at the University of Toronto Mississauga, said as she shared her thoughts to The Medium about the announcements. “I usually don’t use the library as a physical space to hang out or study, but I know that they have so many amazing programs for early child development.”
In early 2025, the plan will come before the city council for approval before it is finalized and set into action.
