A group of senior citizens were recently walking together in Humber Bay Park, here in Toronto. This was a warm-up for a fitness class at a nearby community centre. However, these folks were controvening Municipal Code Chapter 608 Parks. If a group holds an organized event for profit in a park, they have to ante up a fee of $28.65 per hour + GST for the privilege or face a hefty $250 fine. Fortunately for Torontonians, a by-law officer was skulking around, determined to put a stop to the transgressing seniors. According to an article in the Toronto Star, the group clammed up when approached. In the absence of information, the officer pulled out his camera and started snapping pictures. So far, the group has not been fined.
I wonder if it’s the same by-law officers that hide in the bushes looking for people who let their dogs off-leash in parks? I’ve heard of them taking photos and following people home if the the evil-doers don’t cough up any information.
An article in the Sun this morning suggests that the Mayor’s office is now backing down, as is Mark Grimes, the local Councillor.
I understand where the City is coming from. Someone operating a fitness class in a park has a pretty good business model going – no need to rent a studio – and the City wants a piece of the action, and a significant piece at that. In my view, unless a class in the park draws complaints from the community or causes some other problem, I think the City ought to ignore it. For now, I don’t think we have a problem. I can see some readers saying, well, what if there were so many classes in the park that there was competition for the best spots… Let’s deal with that when and if it becomes a problem. I can imagine if the problem spread. Soon there might be tai chi classes in the park, and a running club and maybe some chess boards and a nice place to play bocce. Just imagine the chaos, all those people using our public spaces to exercize their minds and bodies.
If our by-law officers have nothing better to do than harass groups of seniors walking in the park, maybe we have too many by-law officers. Perhaps the City has other work they can do. Do we have enough food inspectors, building inspectors, waste management people? Maybe we should make them park ambassadors, walking information officers or something like that?
27th Street 
if people are out at A park and having fun whos getting hurt the world needs more smiles and happy people thats why I do what I do if you could all just see the sweet smiles on peoples faces when there walking looking around and see nothing but clean streets aww its so great makes me love what I am doing after I am done I get my coffee site back and look at all the people aww its great and the children singing and loling no money can buy that feelingof joy
In general, cities hire bylaw enforcement dudes as a cash grab rather than because of some desire to keep the city pure (if they wanted to improve the city they would hire police and clean up the real crime). Take heart though, Toronto is not the only city guarded by over zealous bylaw enforcers. In New York there is a guy who calls himself Wild Man Steve Brill who is a nature nut and a forager. He has been known to lead groups of folks out into central park to teach them what sorts of neat wild plants might be edible. He has been called The Man Who Ate Manhatten. The parks folks were so horrified at this that they assigned a couple of undercover guys to bust him. The whole episode is hilarious and a description of the bust can be found at http://www.wildmanstevebrill.com/Clippings.folder/Tour%20Host.html . Steve actually has a nice website which can be accessed by clicking on “home” at that same link.
You can’t make this stuff up. Most excellent link Sal.
This comment is cold, Candy. Just a few years ago, I would have found it highly amusing. But now you are talking about me.
mr. anchovy et al., the rationale for the manner in which law enforcement resources are allocated at all levels of government has always been an enigma to me. There is obviously a common screw loose relating this subject in the personality that is attracted to public service, either of the elective variety or bureaucratic variety.
Compulsively following your blog.
I saw this on the CBC this morning. Weird.
I don’t like it when seniors or when anyone gets harassed. Interestingly, the fee in Toronto for buskers is by the year, while the fee for a class in the park is by the hour. Maybe the seniors should break into song and claim to be buskers instead of just folks trying to stay fit. Har!
Hee hee. I love it when seniors get harrassed just the same as young people do in the city by the cops.
I know for sure if I or anyone I know tried to do some business in the park we would get a fine. No ifs or ands or buts. Just my lousy luck.
🙂
Hey if street performers and artists have to pay fees to show their work so should some seniors. The really hilarious part is I bet anything the seniors group had this amazing “sense of entitlement” like we should be allowed to do this etc etc. We pay taxes etc etc.
Ha ha…now they know what it feels like for all of us others who have been harassed by officers. It’s only going to be about 2 bucks each for them to conduct their business in the park.