Anti-Noise Pollution League

06/25/2025

This vintage PSA on booming boom-box noise from a teen-aged Jason Bateman showed up on Jimmy Kimmel Live recently when Jason was on promoting his Smartless podcast (with Will Arnett and Sean Hayes). It’s just too funny not to share and the message of ‘turn down the volume’ is one we like to amplify. Thanks Retrontario for being a minder of pop cultures archives:

Aside from being thoughtless, these noise polluters have an awful taste in music. Special thanks to Keaster2000 for sorting out Retrontario with this clip!

06/03/2025

Tired of struggling to be heard in noisy restaurants and bistros? You're not alone - and this isn’t just a seniors’ issue. Zagat, the restaurant ratings outfit, cites noise as the number one complaint from restaurant patrons. Visit ANPL.ca to access our crowd-sourced recommendations and you can also read this post on the CARP website. https://www.carp.ca/2024/08/15/taking-the-din-out-of-dinner/

05/28/2025

We're on the hunt for dining + drinking establishments that keep the music and background noise to a minimum. Know a place like that? Why not share its name and location here within our community of discerning diners. Or visit www.anpl.ca to sign-up at https://classicalfm.ca/anti-noise-pollution-league/form to get your finds added to our listings.

03/20/2025

Ingrid Buday, founder of No More Noise Toronto, a grassroots organization fighting for a quieter city, is sounding the alarm again on why noise in her city should be recognized as a general health threat.

According to 2018 data from Toronto Public Health, 92.3% of people in Toronto are trying to sleep at levels 45 dba (outside) and higher. The World Health Organization recommends nighttime noise be limited to 40 dBA outside and 30 dBA inside to enable a restful and restorative sleep. Moreover, the WHO has pegged noise pollution as the #2 urban environmental health hazard after air pollution.

Ingrid is calling for the Toronto Board of Health, with its tabling of the Noise Action Plan on April 1, to include a directive to TPH to expand its definition using the WHO’s guidelines and take action to reduce noise levels and address the harmful effects of noise pollution on the Toronto public.

She’s also asking the public to get involved - find out how by visiting www.nomorenoisetoronto.com

01/15/2025

Make hearing health a priority for the new year and become a part of the Anti-Noise Pollution League. Start by sharing this post with friends so they can follow our page. Our collective goal is to create awareness about bars and restaurants that are bringing conversation back to the table - places that are turning off the booming music or playing gentle classical at low volume. Why? Because prolonged exposure to loud music, as is so often heard in trendy spots, can create permanent hearing damage. As always, we invite you to measure the decibel levels in the places you go and share the details here.

12/05/2024

Here is a cautionary statistic if you are gifting gaming software or consoles to loved ones this season or taking the kids to arcades during the holiday break: Research shows that gamers are being regularly exposed to dangerous sound levels. In the study, noise at gaming centres was measured at 80-89 decibels (dB), with impulse sounds during gameplay hitting a staggering 119 dB, far above safe exposure limits for children and adults. Play it safe, turn down the volume on your headsets and ear buds. https://bnnbreaking.com/bnn-newsroom/gaming-at-high-volume-a-silent-threat-to-hearing-health/

11/07/2024

Travelling to the U.K. and want to avoid excessive noise when going out? Pipedown is a like-minded grassroots organization founded in 1992 by author and environmentalist Nigel Rodgers that opposes the practice of playing background music (piped music) in public establishments. https://pipedown.org.uk/ Nigel, we concur!

10/24/2024

Fall weather is in full swing, and in Canada we mean that literally. Patios are closed or closing and there are bigger, noisier crowds inside restaurants. Our recommendation: frequent places that minimize the volume on background music and have decor that muffles sound - things like carpeting and divided seating areas can really help. And if you've been to a place like that lately, where the fare is excellent and you can have a conversation without raised voices, share your experience and recommendation here. Visit www.anpl.ca for more tips.

09/25/2024

Have you heard? The Anti-Noise Pollution League is recruiting new members to help us find great, quiet places to go out for dinner or drinks. In a recent poll of almost 1,500 Canadian Association of Retired Persons members, a whopping 87% of those who dined out 1-4 times a month said it was very important to have a quiet dining experience. Almost 85% also said they would go out more often if they knew a restaurant offered a quiet dining environment. You are not alone. Visit https://classicalfm.ca/anti-noise-pollution-league/form to sign up. Don't forget to like and share this post to show your support.

09/04/2024

The Anti-Noise Pollution League, an initiative of The New Classical FM and ZoomerMedia, welcomes the launch of the Toronto Quiet List in partnership with SoundPrint. You can check out that list of great, quiet restaurants here: https://www.soundprint.co/locations/ca/on/toronto “Our mission, as laid out by our founder Moses Znaimer, is to identify and align with venues that are, by design, serving a clientele that loves eating out but is looking for a quiet environment,” said Siobhan Grennan, ANPL community director. “Soundprint, with its noise-measuring app for public spaces, has been a great ally and we have a shared goal of connecting discerning bar and restaurant patrons with places where they can go for food AND conversation." Visit www.anpl.ca for other suggestions on quiet places to go.

08/13/2024

Our newest adds for great places to go for a meal or drink AND conversation are now posted on the anpl.ca website. We welcome Boo Radley's and Saigon Pai to the list. Our work is ongoing - and we need your help! We invite you to measure the decibel levels in the places you go and when the noise levels are below 75 dBs, share those details by emailing to [email protected]

07/25/2024

Thanks to our colleagues at blogTO here is a list of 10 Toronto area restaurants that offer great food and even better conversation: https://www.blogto.com/eat_drink/2024/05/quiet-restaurants-food-conversation-toronto/ Got your own suggestions to add to the list? Reach out to us at [email protected] and visit anpl.ca for even more recommended establishments.

Quiet restaurants in Toronto for great food and even better conversation are a must for anyone who either wants to hear what the person across from...