Toronto council overwhelmingly backs ban on sledding on hills in city parks – Beach Metro Community News

AMARACHI AMADIKE, Reporter, Local Journalism Initiative

Toronto council voted Wednesday, Feb. 7, to lift a much-criticized ban on sledding on 45 city hills deemed unserviceable by the Parks Department due to safety concerns.

The proposal was introduced by Beeches-East York Councilor Brad Bradford and supported by Mayor Olivia Chow, who has worked in Bradford's office for the past five to six weeks.

“I think we all understand how important this is to our community,” Bradford said. “Sometimes the City Council has to stand up as elected officials and really stand up for our communities, even if it puts us in a different position than our staff.”

After an assessment by the city's park ranger and ski technicians, many of the city's hills have been deemed unsafe due to physical hazards such as trees and poles that could lead to injuries to residents.

“Many of these rooftops have been off-limits for a long time – in some cases years,” a city staff member said at Wednesday's Toronto council meeting.

City officials said the program was created in 2017 to create a safer environment for sledding by installing special roofs that are inspected weekly.

Although many residents argued that the ban was an overreach because no serious injuries were reported, officials said the decision to ban sledding was “based on injuries and complaints that have occurred in some cases at those locations.”

However, amid public outrage over the ban on sledding, Toronto council voted 21-3 to support Bradford's motions to reverse the decision, with councilors Mike Colle, Stephen Holliday and Gord Perks voting against.

“No fishing has been suspended; no bark removed; and no more sledding,” said Toronto-Danforth councilor Paula Fletcher, recalling earlier bans that were overturned by Toronto council.

During the meeting, Bradford asked why hay bales and snow fences, which had previously been installed as precautionary measures to reduce potential injuries on hills in city parks, had been removed.

Intending to send a clear message to the public that certain hills are dangerous for winter activities, officials said putting these safety measures on prohibited hills sends the opposite message because it creates an environment that encourages sledding.

In addition, officials say hay bales are “not regularly inspected” and have insufficient anti-collision support. This is due to a lack of resources to manage inspections on a regular basis.

When the ban is lifted, those safety measures are expected to be reinstated as residents return to the hills at their favorite city parks for winter fun — if snow actually falls in Toronto this season.

– Amarachi Amadike is a reporter for the Beach Metro Community News Local Journalism Initiative. His reporting is funded by the Government of Canada through the Indigenous Journalism Initiative.

---