City investigates noise-emitting devices installed near downtown parkette

The city is investigating after receiving complaints about the use of sound devices targeting youth near a small park.

Thestar.com
March 9, 2017
By Alicia Siekierska

The city is investigating after it received complaints about the use of noise-emitting devices allegedly targeting young people near a small parkette off Yonge St.

Ward 27 councillor Kristyn Wong-Tam said her office received several complaints on Thursday about devices installed on the outer walls of the building at 415 Yonge St., adjacent to the McGill Parkette.

Covenant House, which provides shelter to homeless youth, is nearby.

Wong-Tam said staff will now investigate the complaints about the devices, which are said to be discouraging people from entering the park.

John Mah, vice-president of asset management at Artis Reit, the investment trust that manages the property, said electronic devices were installed in the fall and there are no plans to remove them.

He said the sonic emitters are not targeted at youth.

“They are there to augment security for our building,” Mah said in a written statement to the Star on Thursday. “There was no deliberate attempt to keep people from using the parkette regardless of age.”

Mah said residents have “expressed only a positive response” about the devices.

“We have received no complaints from the city to date and received no private or individual complaints until today,” he said.

“However, we have received confidential feedback from local residents who have noticed a decline in vagrancy and loitering individuals who appeared intimidating to residents.”

He added the company will “continue to experiment with hours of operation” and operate the devices at night for security purposes.

Wong-Tam said the city has been working with residents, the Downtown Yonge BIA, police and the owners of 415 Yonge St. to improve the conditions and safety of the small park, located near Gerrard St. E.

The land the parkette sits on is being leased to the city by the building owners.

Wong-Tam said the owners have refused to give the city permission to go ahead with park enhancements.

“The city is prepared to pay for these improvements, because we want to improve the condition of the park, so everyone can come use it and make it a safer, more welcoming space,” she said.

“I find it very ironic that they won’t allow us to improve the physical space of the park, but they purchase these very expensive noise-emitters to keep people away from it.”

Mah said the building is concerned with the city’s ability to maintain a park, and has not ruled out park renovations.

“We have withheld consent at this time pending a meeting with the city’s planning department so that the city would not incur costs prematurely,” he said.

Mah said the reason why the devices were installed is because the parkette has been identified by the city and Downtown Yonge BIA as a high risk for crime. The building has been vandalized and broken into several times over the years, he said.

“Vagrancy, litter and illegal camping were only minor crimes by comparison. It had become a magnet for persons that local residents found intimidating and at times threatening to their personal security,” he said.

“While we shared these same concerns with the local residents, we sought only to improve the security of our own premises first and foremost.”

Mah said since the installation of the devices, “vagrancy, sexual assault, drug use, violent and petty crime have all been noticeably in decline.”

“In our view, we have done our best to balance the rights of individuals against the benefit to society at large.”

Mah sent The Star a link to the Mosquito Device, a small speaker that produces a high frequency noise that, the manufacturer says, can be heard by young people 13 to 25 years of age. According to the product website, the Mosquito “provides a simple, safe and benign way to disperse crowds of anti-social youth.”

Wong-Tam called the situation “unfortunate.”

“I think it’s very disconcerting that there are certain types of people that are viewed as undesirable,” she said. “You are clearly discriminating against young people by trying to get teenagers out of those parks. This is a public park and it should be accessible to everyone . . . not to mention it’s next to Covenant House, a youth facility.”

Wong-Tam said 415 Yonge St. has previously said they want to turn the space into a loading area for the building.

Mah said it was one of several ideas floated by the building.