- Toronto City Council has posted signs warning people to stay off the snow-covered slopes in winter
- The adventurers are directed to a website that maps the city’s 29 designated sledding hills for use in 27 parks.
- But city councilor Brad Bradford, who uses the hill to toboggan with his children, believes the move confirms Toronto’s reputation of being ‘no-fun’.
Toronto City Council’s decision to ban sledding on 45 area hills over safety fears has angered residents.
The authority has posted signs warning people to stay off the snow-covered slopes in winter.
“Sledding is not allowed on this hill,” reads a sign at the top of a popular spot in East Lynn Park. ‘Hazards such as trees, stumps, rocks, rivers or roads make this hill unsafe.’
The adventurers are then directed to a website that maps the city’s 29 designated sledding hills for use in 27 parks.
But city councilor Brad Bradford, who uses the hill to toboggan with his children, believes the move confirms Toronto’s reputation of being ‘no-fun’.
Toronto City Council’s decision to ban sledding on 45 area hills over safety fears has outraged residents
The authority has posted signs warning people to stay off the snow-covered slopes in winter.
Toronto residents are complaining about the signs that were installed around the city about a month ago.
“Frankly, it’s embarrassing,” Councilor Bradford told the newspaper Toronto star. “It’s the same kind of misguided big bureaucracy that led to an attempt to ban street hockey, and that’s just absurd.
“This is part of the Canadian experience, growing up in winter cities, and Toronto should be no exception.”
But he doesn’t think the signs will stop anyone from tobogganing on hills and insists people understand the risks and should be able to make their own decisions.
“It’s just going to make people cynical about the city of Toronto, which continues to move toward a no-fun city,” said Bradford.
Toronto City Council first launched a program in 2017 in which it inspects popular sledding hills to ensure there are no hazards obstructing the slope.
“The number of prohibited and designated sledding hills is dynamic and may change minimally from year to year depending on site conditions,” the report said.
“East Lynn Park was assessed using the sledding hill inspection process and was deemed unsafe due to several permanent obstructions and safety hazards on site, including stairs, wading pool, field houses, light poles and trees.”
The adventurers are then directed to a website that maps the city’s 29 designated sledding hills for use in 27 parks.
The city states that “designated sledding hills must have a clear path from the top of the slope to the bottom, without obstacles or hazards such as trees, ditches, paths or fencing, etc.”
City staff did not have to consult with the council and residents about the signs because an ordinance already existed.
Resident Troy Burtch thinks people will ignore the warnings and continue sledding.
“It won’t stop us from enjoying the hill,” he said. ‘We know the risks of descending a hill on a piece of plastic.’
Ricki Gurwitz, a mother of two, said: ‘The fear of liability is ruining modern childhood.
“I always went sledding with friends as a kid, and it was one of my favorite parts of winter.”
Advisor Bradford does not want the city to try to force compliance.
“If the city of Toronto really wants to embarrass itself and become a national news story, they’ll send officials to ticket kids for tobogganing on a hill,” he said.
DailyMail.com has contacted Toronto City Council for comment.