Toronto is studying the problem while others are solving it.
Cities Are Taking Action. Toronto should be part of this growing North American movement.
More than 200 cities across North America, along with several U.S. states, have taken action to address gas-powered lawn and landscaping equipment. Communities are recognizing that cleaner, quieter battery-powered equipment is a practical, eco-friendly alternative to highly polluting gas-powered machines. Canada is lagging, but momentum for change is growing.
Policies and programs addressing two-stroke gas-powered equipment have now been adopted in 27 U.S. states plus Washington, D.C. including;
Restrictions on the use of gas-powered leaf blowers, including seasonal and time-of-day limits.
Bans or phase-outs of gas-powered equipment, including restrictions on the sale of new equipment.
Financial incentives that help residents, landscapers and businesses transition to cleaner, quieter battery-powered equipment.
California has led the way, ending the retail sale of new gas-powered leaf blowers and lawn mowers beginning in 2024. Other communities have gone further. Cambridge, Massachusetts; Washington, D.C.; Portland, Oregon; Stamford, Connecticut; and Greenwich, Connecticut have adopted bans or prohibitions targeting two-stroke gas-powered leaf blowers. In Canada they are banned in Vancouver’s West End. Montreal has banned them in 7 boroughs and restricted their use in 7 others.
The message from communities across North America is increasingly clear: the transition away from gas-powered landscaping equipment is not only possible—it is already underway.
Toronto has an opportunity to join this growing movement and protect residents from unnecessary noise and air pollution by accelerating the transition to cleaner, quieter electric landscaping equipment.
Leaf Blower Exposure Is Not Shared Equally Across Toronto
Exposure to 2 stroke gas-powered leaf blowers is not distributed evenly across Toronto. Wards with high concentrations of apartment buildings, condominiums, commercial properties, and professionally maintained landscapes experience far more frequent landscaping activity than other parts of the city. As a result, residents in these neighbourhoods may be exposed to the noise, toxic exhaust emissions, and airborne dust from 2 stroke gas-powered leaf blowers every day—or several times a week—while residents in other wards encounter these impacts only occasionally.
This uneven exposure means that city-wide surveys can mask the true extent of the problem. A ward where gas-powered leaf blowers are used intensively will have a very different experience from one where they are rarely used.
Residents who bear the greatest burden of this noise and pollution deserve to have their experiences accurately measured and reflected in City policy. Ward-based research would provide City Council with a clearer understanding of where the impacts are most severe, ensuring that the voices of those most affected are not overlooked when decisions are made.
In 2025 City Council passed the following leaf blower motion:
“When Toronto’s Air Quality Health Index reaches high or very high-risk levels (7–10), City operations, businesses, and residents will be urged to pause the use of two-stroke gas-powered leaf blowers and similarly polluting equipment whenever practical and feasible.”
Toronto has taken a first step toward cleaner energy. Now it’s time to build on this progress. Let’s push Council to finish the job and move toward a full ban on these noisy, toxic, outdated machines.
