Council to Consider Motion on Rogers Stadium Noise

Toronto city council is expected to debate a motion this week asking Live Nation Canada to find ways to reduce sound from Rogers Stadium that travels into nearby communities on concert nights.

Coun. James Pasternak, who represents York Centre, wants the city manager to work with the entertainment company to hire a third-party acoustics engineer to examine the stadium's layout and identify possible solutions. The motion, seconded by Coun. Lily Cheng, asks Live Nation to foot the bill for any changes.

Residents in York Centre, Willowdale, and Vaughan have reported noise concerns on concert nights. Rogers Stadium, which opened in June 2025 in Downsview on the former airport runway, attracted about 700,000 visitors in 2025 and is expected to exceed one million this year.

Live Nation says concerts operate within city noise bylaws and the company covers the cost of Municipal Licensing Officers to monitor levels at every show. The company installed vinyl cladding on the back of grandstands at the start of this concert season. "While some have noticed an improvement, others have not," Pasternak said in the motion.

Pasternak noted it would take two years for city staff to review the existing noise bylaw to strengthen it, and council still wouldn't be able to enforce it against the stadium. He chose the acoustics-expert approach as "the most cost-effective and efficient way" to address the issue, factoring in that sound amplification depends on cloud cover, wind velocity, and wind direction — variables the city cannot control.