Toronto is no stranger to lining up for great sales or exclusive drops, but this one might be a new one: it turns out the hottest sale of the summer is being hosted by the City of Toronto, and it’s for rain barrels. In May, the City introduced a new low-cost rain barrel program, providing an 80 per cent discount up front on the barrels for all households. But it turns out all allocated discounted barrels sold out in nine hours, according to Mayor Chow in a motion to the City of Toronto’s executive committee — and when sales launched again on Thursday for the next “drop,” demand was so high that the website basically crashed!
The City has since published a note on the rain barrel savings program page, explaining that “overwhelming demand” led to “technical difficulties” on the vendor website, and orders therefore couldn’t be published. Sales will be launched again on Tuesday, July 28 at 2 p.m., so if you missed out on your chance to snag a discounted rain barrel, you’ll have another shot — though inventory is quite limited.
It’s a strange turn of events, for it to be not a limited edition sneaker or a new dessert trend but an actual rain barrel that prompts the biggest (virtual) lineup in Toronto this summer. But it’s likely the discount has something to do with it; rain barrels typically cost at least $100 through most retailers. The pilot program is selling them for just $8.95 plus tax, plus $1 for the downspout diverter, along with free delivery.
Keep in mind a rain barrel will also result in some discounts on your water bill as well, as the goal is to collect and temporarily store rainwater for outdoor use. And the barrels are supposed to help prevent flooding in the colder months
When the program began in May, there was a two-barrel limit per household, but the high demand prompted the City to institute a new one-barrel limit for the next sale.
It’s unclear how many more additional opportunities to secure rain barrels through the pilot program there will be after the sale this month; the program was set to last for the entirety of 2026, though that was dependent on available budget and inventory.
