Toronto Mayor John Tory is speaking out against a bylaw crackdown on residents with hockey and basketball nets on the edge of the road.
Residents in the Lawrence Avenue and Avenue Road area were slapped with tickets from the City of Toronto last week over nets kept at the edge of their yards or driveways.
"Most kids are sensible enough, and their parents keep an eye on it, to move the hockey nets off the street when there are cars coming along," Tory said at a news conference Thursday.
"What's next? I mean, are we going to have somebody moving that we should ban Halloween because kids walk along the sidewalks in the dark?"
Tory said he believes the matter can be solved without tickets, and said he thinks kids should be allowed to play ball hockey like he did when he was young.
Municipal law stipulates that no one is allowed to play games or sports on roadways. The bylaw is meant to address children's safety, as well as to keep traffic moving on city streets.
Approximately 20 residents told CTV Toronto they were visited by bylaw officers after a resident complained about the nets. Residents were given 20 days to remove the nets or face a $90 fine from the city.
"I think it's ridiculous," resident Kristi Ashcroft told CTV Toronto's Janice Golding on Thursday.
"We want the kids to play outside, we don’t want them inside on their iPads and all their gizmos."
Another resident, Beth Franc, said she was disappointed that the city chose to target net owners.
"It seems like a pretty innocent activity to have kids out playing hockey and basketball in the street," Franc said.
A young boy told CTV Toronto he thought it was "the dumbest thing ever," saying he wanted to keep playing despite the crackdown.
Many parents who live in the neighbourhood said they were buoyed by Tory's comments.
"I'm happy I voted for him. I think he has his priorities right, and I hope that it trickles down," Annabelle DeGouvia said.
