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A Toronto councillor wants to create a process to exempt streetsfrom a bylaw that prohibits playing hockey on the road. At the moment, a long-standing bylaw bans hockey and other ballgames from being played on city streets, under threat of a $55fine. But Ward 22 St. Paul's Coun. Josh Matlow wants to change that, bymaking it possible for parents to get clearance for their kids toplay street hockey, where it is appropriate to do so. Coun. Josh Matlow said the existing bylaw is too litigious and doesnot reflect the reality that kids are already playing ball hockeyon city streets. (CBC) Matlow said he first brought a motion to city council a few monthsago, after he heard of a case in his community where children werekicked off the street when playing ball hockey. I think that it's inane to have a bylaw on the books thatprohibits kids from doing what we know they re doing anyway, thatfrankly most parents are actually encouraging them to do, ratherthan be in front of a computer or a TV screen, Matlow told CBCNews. Matlow said he came to council asking for its support to find a way at the very least to allow for slow-moving neighbouhoodstreets to be exempt from the bylaw. He said city staff have come up with the following criteria thatstreets, or sections of streets, would have to meet if an exemptionwere to be granted: A speed limit of 40 km/h or less. Daily traffic of fewer than 1,000 vehicles. Safe sight-lines for traffic. The support of 80 per cent of households on the street for anexemption The public works committee will consider the idea next month. I think the current bylaw is far too litigious, it s written bylawyers and it doesn t really reflect a Canadian pastime, which isyouth playing ball hockey on city streets, Matlow said. However, his push to legalize street hockey has some councillorswondering why he is going to so much trouble over a bylaw that israrely, if ever, enforced. I think it works fine the way it is, to be quite honest, saidWard 27 Toronto Centre-Rosedale Coun. Kristyn Wong-Tam, when askedabout the issue. Ward 14 Parkdale-High Park Coun. Gord Perks said he thought thattrying to get street hockey permitted on selected streets is alittle bit like creating a solution where there isn t a problem. However, Matlow said that if a bylaw doesn t reflect the realityof that street, there needs to be some way to have an exemption. Furthermore, Matlow said that if the bylaw isn t enforced, as somecritics suggest, it begs the question why do we have a bylaw thatisn t enforced and nobody likes in the first place at all? Perks said the police currently use appropriate discretion whenenforcing the bylaw, a system he believes is working well. Right now, the police are not scooping kids off the streetplaying ball hockey, he said. I did it when I was a kid, my kids did it, there are kidseverywhere out enjoying our streets right now. We are high quality suppliers, our products such as China Laboratory Drying Oven , Hazardous Storage Cabinet for oversee buyer. To know more, please visits Flammable Storage Cabinet.
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