The City of Toronto is cracking down on residents in the Lawrence Avenue and Avenue Road area who have been leaving their children’s hockey and basketball nets on the edge of the road.
Many people in the neighbourhood have nets either on or near the street because there are no sidewalks in the area. Most residents say they’ve received letters from the city in the past week telling them to remove the sporting equipment from city property of face a $90 fine.
“The ticket is (for) having the nets on city property,” said Mark Ashcroft, one of the homeowners facing a fine. “I guess we’re all going to go back to our iPads and our screen time and let our kids all lead a sedentary lifestyle.”
Approximately 20 residents say they’ve also been visited by bylaw officers after a resident in the neighbourhood complained about the nets.
But most locals say the nets are harmless and should be allowed in the neighbourhood.
“We don't have sidewalks. We do have the room,” said Annabelle Degouvia, a resident in the area. “There's not a lot of traffic and I think it's a true Canadian thing to yell ‘car’ and the kids get out of the way and move -- it’s never been an issue.”
There is technically an encroachment bylaw that bans all temporary or permanent structures placed on public roads without permission from the city.
Some homeowners have taken their sporting equipment off public property, but others are defying the city’s warning.
“This is a wonderful area to live and grow up and we love it,” Ashcroft said. “We just have to get our priorities right.”
Coun. Christin Carmichael Greb, who represents the area, refused to comment on the issue, but is holding a meeting about road safety on Tuesday evening.
Many residents in the area say they will attend the meeting to express their outrage over the issue.
With a report from Scott Lightfoot
