How Can Canadian Cities Like Toronto Outlaw Street Hockey?

[IPostedWhat]

That just seems so Un-American. :p

Matthew Blackett spent much of his childhood playing hockey on the side streets of Willowdale – ball, sticks and makeshift nets in hand.

He’d like future generations of Torontonians to do the same, but without risking a $55 fine: That’s how much the city can currently charge people caught in the act of playing any ball sport in the city’s streets.

“That’s a lot of candy money,” Mr. Blackett said.

The Spacing Toronto publisher and member of the city’s pedestrian committee is among those spearheading a push to legalize road hockey and other ball-based street games.

It also makes otherwise financially prohibitive ice hockey a lot more accessible. CBC’s Hockey Night in Punjabi co-host Parminder Singh grew to love the sport playing ball hockey on the streets of the Jane-Finch neighbourhood after moving there from the Punjab.

But in Toronto, and several other Canadian cities, it’s technically illegal.

When the motion landed on Glenn De Baeremaeker's desk, the committee chair thought it was a joke.

"I said, 'Youve got to be kidding: Playing hockey on the street is illegal?' ... It's time to change the bylaws to recognize the reality of our nation."

Publisher cites childhood obesity in efforts to legalize hockey on Toronto roads - The Globe and Mail

 

[IPostedWhat]

BACK STORY:
Street hockey bylaws have long been a source of dispute in Canadian cities.

* Montreal In March, hundreds signed a petition in support of a Montreal-area father who was fined $75 for playing street hockey with his son and friends. The acting mayor of Dollard-des-Ormeaux said the bylaw should not be revoked but should only be enforced if there is a complaint.

* Kingston A Kingston cul-de-sac became the centre of a bitter road hockey dispute in 2008. The 15-house street led to 12 street-hockey-related complaints in the previous year — the highest for any street in the city. One resident who supported the bylaw banning street sports said she had been “turned into the Wicked Witch of the West,” by bitter neighbours.

* Halifax In January 2006, Sidney Crosby waded into the debate over a street hockey ban in Halifax, writing a letter to the mayor asking him to rethink a vaguely worded law that could have been used to outlaw street hockey.

* Rothesay, N.B. Two years before that, Bobby Orr made his displeasure known about a proposed Rothesay, N.B., street hockey ban. Town officials changed the bylaw to forbid the impeding of traffic instead of outright banning street hockey.

* Hamilton In 2001 in Hamilton, a resident frustrated with hockey playing neighbours took her complaint to district court. It was thrown out, but in drew support from hockey fans across the country.

* Port Coquitlam, B.C. In 2000, former Toronto Maple Leaf and Vancouver Canuck Tiger Williams stepped in when condo owners here went to court to force neighbourhood children off the road. “Ball hockey, roller hockey, ice hockey, it’s the fabric of this country, Mr. Williams said. He offered to pay the kids’ legal bills.

Calls to legalize road hockey grow | Posted Toronto | National Post

 

[beantownmaniac]

Growing up, I played street hockey more than anything else, even baseball!

 

[juliansteed]

Sorry folks but streets aren't made for hockey. The ban makes perfect sense to me. However in certain residential areas there may not be a need to enforce it so long as nobody complains. 1st complaint, give them a warning. 2nd complaint, fine them/their parents. I'm sure there are other places where people could play. Why would anyone want to play in the streets in the first place. I think it would be annoying to constantly have to move out of the way for cars.

 

[mbhhofr]

When I was a kid, they hadn't yet put salt or chemicals on the road. They plowed the streets and put down sand only, maybe 50 feet before the stop signs, so the side streets had hard packed snow on the road and we were able to play street hockey with a puck. Never used a ball for our street games. The milk man had a horse drawn wagon and if we didn't have a puck, we would use a horse turd for a puck. I'm not kidding.

Julian, you never played street hockey? That's a right of passage growing up in the hockey world.

 

[juliansteed]

Julian, you never played street hockey? That's a right of passage growing up in the hockey world.

I did indeed play street hockey when I was a kid. I also played baseball on my neighbours lawn without any of us actually asking them. Just because I did these things, doesn't necessarily make them right. But fortunately for us, nobody complained. Like I said, if nobody complains then there is no need to enforce it. But streets are made for driving and to a lesser extent bicyling. If street hockey is so important then perhaps there should be designated places to play it. That being said, most neighbourhoods likely have a neary by school parking lot or playground of some sort where people can play.

 

[puckhead]

won't someone think of the children.

my guess: politicians are afraid of the lawsuit if a kid gets run over by a newly licensed immigrant that doesn't know to expect a hockey net in every cul-de-sac.


CAR!!!!!!!!

 

[kenyg54]

In Buffalo, it was called "shinny".

 

[jstewismybastardson]

when I was a kid we played street hockey, until the day some the neighbourhood goof jobs car got hit my a tennis ball and he decided to run over/destroy a goalie net at slow speed during one of our breaks

so we moved to the covered area at the elementary school, until a kid ran into a tether ball pole and knocked himself out

so we moved to an outdoor lacrosse box next to the school, until a kid got highsticked above the eye with a plastic blade and the city decided to tear down the structure because it was apparently expensive to maintain and they needed an extra parking lot (i was too young and not cynical enough at the time to wonder if those issues were related)

so we moved into the community centre across the street and played ball hockey indoors, until they started charging $2.00 to drop in, cutting into my hockey card collecting funds

its quite surprising that I didnt succumb to smoking and hanging out at 7-11

 

[puckhead]

In Buffalo, it was called "shinny".

Shinny was a casual game as well, but on a frozen pond.
Where I grew up, most folks had pretty long driveways, so we were mostly out of the way.
there were an assload of damaged garage doors in the neighbourhood, though.