What's better than enjoying a nice cold, craft brew on a hot Summer day?
Toronto is now considering having a mobile craft beer truck tour city parks as a way of bringing people together to enjoy the outdoors.
Staff are examining the idea and will report to the parks committee in January.
The idea came to Councillor Mary-Margaret MacMahon after seeing something similar done in Philly.
"The parks on tap program in Philadelphia, they went to 20 parks over the course of the Summer. Maybe you'd visit three parks in each geographical region in a season," she describes. "It brings people together, food and the odd beverage. We can showcase our great local breweries who are working their tails off, their entrepreneurs. We're trying to be the craft brewery capital of North America."
Not everyone is thrilled by the idea. Indra Seja doesn't want to see the trucks in the Beaches area. "Consideration should be given to the esthetics of the adventure. 60-foot metal container trucks belong on the back of semis. Not scattered at ransom on parks as eye sores that insult the wonderful work the parks department does to integrate people and nature," he worries. "Not only are the trucks, themselves, ugly and intrusive and the proposed close-off of beer gardens restrictive. But, the prospect of dozens of smelly orange porta-toilets that will inevitably go with the venture are totally counterproductive to why people go to parks."
Seja wonders why this is even being considered. "Since Toronto citizens are already using our parks, they don't need to be lured into them. If they are thirsty from using their parks, I'm sure local businesses would appreciate their walking a block to get a drink."