Residents who live next to Toronto’s famed container market, Stackt, say it’s impossible to get a moment’s peace because of unrelenting noise coming from the venue almost every single day.“It’s not just an inconvenience. It’s really a public health concern,” said Ana, who lives in a building that shares the property line with the market. She tells CityNews they usually have music blaring daily, and on event days, it reaches what she calls “assaulting levels.”“So much so that our cat ran straight for the closet, and I had increased heartbeat and palpitations,” she says. “I’ve been experiencing a lot of mental health effects like extreme anxiety.”Ana’s neighbour, whom we are identifying only as Amanda, says it’s not just normal downtown noise levels.“The problem is that this music does not stop just when you close your balcony door; it amplifies throughout. I have my blinds shaking and making sounds as if there’s construction in my unit,” she says. “This is not normal city life sounds.”The city has confirmed with residents that Stackt has exemption permits for every Saturday until October 5 from 3 p.m. to 11 p.m. But Ana says last Sunday, the noise levels were unbearable during the market’s Chillin’ & Grillin event.“They were not in compliance with the bylaw, and they did not have a permit. And we are actively investigating that, and we will take appropriate action,” confirmed Carleton Grant, the Executive Director of Municipal Licensing and Standards.City officials tell CityNews staff will be following up with the owners of Stackt to discuss the complaints and this most recent violation, as well as discussing possible actions that can be taken to prevent further violations.Coun. Ausma Malik tells CityNews she has received a number of noise complaints and has been working with city staff and Stackt to address community concerns.“In our growing downtown communities, residents should be able to enjoy arts, culture, music and nightlife, that make our city vibrant and welcoming – and be able to get rest free of unreasonable and persistent sound,” she said in a statement.“I understand from City staff they have a number of open investigations and have requested noise monitoring in place from the City for all upcoming events.”CityNews tried multiple times to speak with Stackt management, but they did not respond. Ana says she hasn’t had much luck either.“There were just a lot of excuses,” she explained, adding they were offered free tickets. “At this point, we don’t really know what to do, but we know what we want – we want these exemption permits to stop, essentially, because there is no reason why we need them to have a good time.”The City says revoking exemption permits would be an extreme measure. When asked if it is time to reevaluate exemption permits for dense residential areas, Grant says they are continuously evaluating and updating bylaws.“The challenge is you need to test it for a couple years. You cannot do these annually,” explains Grant. “I understand the frustration of the community, but it’s something that you really need to do an analysis over a number of years to understand what’s working and what isn’t.”Ana says many residents are considering moving out.“If the people who live here can’t get any justice or can’t be heard and have to not be at home every weekend in the summer, guess what? They are gonna go somewhere else and spend their money in a different neighborhood.”