Why Toronto must ban Gas Leaf Blowers (GLBs)
Leaf Blower Exposure Is Not Equal Across Toronto
The burden of leaf blower noise and emissions falls disproportionately on certain wards.
Neighbourhoods in wards with large residential properties, extensive landscaping, and numerous commercial maintenance contracts often experience repeated and prolonged high landscaping activity. Residents in these areas may be exposed several times a week to leaf blower noise while residents elsewhere may encounter the issue only occasionally.
Residents who bear the greatest burden of noise and pollution deserve to be listened to.
Toronto is studying the problem while others are solving it. Cities across North America are acting.
Many cities are shifting to battery-only landscaping tools. Full bans exist, but more common are phase-outs or seasonal restrictions. The trend is accelerating—especially in North America. Canada is lagging behind U.S. cities, but momentum is building. Because of the serious health and environmental impacts many cities in the U.S.A. have a ban or regulate gas-powered lawn equipment.
Cities that Ban
They are banned in Vancouver’s West End. Montreal has banned gas-powered leaf blowers in six boroughs and restricted their use in eight others. The State of California banned the sale of new gas-powered lawn equipment. Cambridge, Massachusetts, Washington, D.C., Portland, Oregon, Stamford and Greenwich, Connecticut have all banned gas-powered leaf blowers.
Toronto has taken a partial measure towards cleaner air.
On November 12, 2025, Toronto City Council passed Councillor Dianne Saxe’s motion, directly inspired by the persistence and evidence brought forward by Gasbusters.
“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.”
This is a meaningful first step — and proof that public advocacy works.
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Let’s push Council to finish the job and move toward a full ban on these toxic, outdated machines.
Toronto has taken the first step. Let’s make sure it’s not the last.
Harmful airborne particles can linger in the air for a week .
Air Pollution Is a Silent Killer
Air Pollution is one of the leading environmental threats to human health worldwide. Decades of scientific research confirm that even short-term exposure can increase the risk of heart disease, stroke, asthma, and lung cancer. Just like smoking, the damage may not be felt immediately, but it builds silently over time.
Children, older adults, and people with existing health issues are especially vulnerable. Yet exposure affects everyone—and reducing it can lead to significant improvements in public health outcomes.
Global health authorities, including the World Health Organization (WHO), Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), and the American Heart Association, all warn of the serious health risks of polluted air.
The high wind speed generated by a leaf blower is a main source of harmful dust in residential neighbourhoods.
The hurricane-force winds jetting out of the front end of a gas leaf blower is moving over 200 miles an hour. The disbursed air pulverizes what it hits into very fine dust. Leaf blower dust can stay airborne for days. What’s in the dust can cause long term health issues. Evidence indicates that the quality of outdoor air directly influences the quality of indoor air, including in homes.
Much of this resuspended dust is fine Particulate Matter ( PM ) , is less than 2.5 microns, small enough in size to enter the bloodstream when inhaled, lodging in our lungs. Children are especially vulnerable to the harm caused by air pollutants. Their smaller bodies, developing brains, and respiratory systems make them more vulnerable to the health effects of poor air quality and have lifelong consequences.
The blown dust from yard cleanup operations blows all the stuff that’s on the ground up into the air contains animal feces, molds, bacteria, fungus, fertilizer, and pesticides.
Dust from the street contains metals, including lead, carbon black from tires and asbestos from brake pad wear. All are carcinogens.
According to a recent report issued by researchers at Imperial College London, “There is emerging evidence that microplastic particles released from car tire wear and tear, and other particulate matter may contribute to a range of negative health impacts including a greater risk of heart and lung disease, cancer, neurodegenerative disease, infertility, birth defects and organ damage .”
“ Outdoor fine particulate air pollution (PM2.5) contributes to millions of deaths around the world each year, but much less is known about the long-term health impacts of other particulate air pollutants including ultrafine particles (a.k.a. nanoparticles) which are in the nanometer size range (<100 nm), widespread in urban environments, and not currently regulated. Long-term exposure to outdoor ultrafine particulate matter was associated with increased risk of mortality.
It’s estimated the mortality burden for outdoor ultrafine particles in Montreal and Toronto, to be approximately 1100 additional non accidental deaths every year. “As outdoor ultrafine particles are not currently regulated, there is great potential for future regulatory interventions to improve population health by targeting these common outdoor air pollutants. “ American Journal of Respiratory and Central Care Medicine, June 24, 2024
