Parks staff faulted for turfing toddler sports program
Parents of the toddlers and some park neighbours were mystified by the cancellation of Sportball's permit.

TheStar.com
May 19, 2017
David Rider

Toronto’s ombudsman is criticizing a kneejerk decision by city staff to turf a toddler sports program from a Beach parkette last summer.

In a report released Friday, Susan Opler says city parks staff acted “too quickly and without fair process” ejected Sportball classes from Lynndale Parkette after some neighhbours complained about noise and traffic.

“Toronto has more than 1,500 parks, many of them jewels of city neighbourhoods,” the ombudsman said in a news release accompanying her report that will go to city council next week.

“They provide greenspace and recreational opportunities for families, groups and individuals. The city should clearly spell out the process it uses to handle park permits, which must be fair to all.”

The Star reported in July that Sportball staff, who had been granted a permit to teach young kids elementary sports skills in the parkette, were told two weeks later it was revoked and they risked fines if they returned.

The quick ejection mystified parents of the toddlers and some neighbours who told the Star at the time the noise did not bother them. Some didn’t hear the kids at all.

Matthew Cutler, public relations manager with Toronto’s Parks, Forestry, and Recreation division, told the Star at the time residents objected to noise and increased traffic.

He acknowledged there was no assessment of validity of the complaints, and quickly moving Sportball to another park was an attempt to “find a solution that works for everybody.”

The local city councillor, Gary Crawford, said at the time city staff were “inundated” with complaints from neighbours, including some who questioned why a permit was granted at all for a small parkette.

Opler, who investigates potentially unfair interactions between city staff and residents, launched a probe in response to the media stories. She looked more broadly at how the city approves permits for new uses of parks, handles complaints and decides to cancel or alter permits.

Her findings included:

• Staff granted the permit without complete information about when and how the park would be used.
• When neighbours complained, staff failed to investigate or consider the perspectives of the company or program participants before cancelling the permit and suggesting another park.
• The department’s complaint policy does not deal with complaints about park use. City staff were unaware of other policies that did exist, or disagreed on how they applied.
• There is no clear process for handling park permit violations.
• Staff did not keep adequate records of their communications with Sportball and residents, and failed to properly document reasons for cancelling the permit.

Opler said if the permit application for Lynndale Parkette had been properly vetted, resulting complaints could have been avoided. “In responding to the complaints, the city acted quickly, but did not follow a proper process.”

The ombudsman made eight recommendations, including creating rules around canceling or altering park permits, giving affected parties a chance to respond, and better training staff on policies including the need to keep records.

Parks, forestry and recreation has agreed to make the changes, Opler said, and her department will monitor their implementation.