'How else can we tell you a facility is closed?' Aurora's bylaws boss says

8 tickets issued as vigilance beefed up to catch violators of Ontario's emergency act

Yorkregion.com
April 20, 2020
John Cudmore 

The message is clear to Town of Aurora residents insistent on defying physical distancing rules intended to help flatten the COVID-19 curve.

In a word: don’t.

While a majority of people who were approached April 11 and 12 were cooperative and compliant, there were 15 tickets issued for bylaws violations, said Alex Wray, the municipality's manager of bylaw and animal services.

Eight tickets were issued for violations of the Emergency Management and Civil Protection Act. The fines were $880 each, he said.

The town posted notice of increased vigilance on its website prior to the holiday weekend.

“We have been proactively patrolling parks since late March,” Wray said. “We stepped up to the full enforcement model because we thought Good Friday and Easter might spur gatherings and interactions in parks.”

Wray said information shared from the Town of Newmarket, which increased patrols the previous weekend, indicated success in limiting the number of incidents.

"It didn’t create a large decrease, but it helped," Wray said, adding officers interacted with about 300 people. "We still want voluntary compliance. We’re not looking to make enemies."

There were also five tickets issued for parks violations and two off-leash dog tickets were handed out.

Wray said the aim is to educate the public and most people are understanding. However, blatant incidents cannot go without penalty.

"The vast majority of the tickets issued have been at Astroturf soccer fields with six-foot high fences and padlocked gates," he said. "How else can we tell you a facility is closed?"

Aurora’s walking trail system remains open, with citizens advised to practice proper physical distancing. The exception is Sheppard’s Bush, which is a Lake Simcoe Region Conservation Authority-managed property, and is closed.

Failing to identify yourself upon the request of a municipal law enforcement officer conducting an investigation under the EMCPA carries a fine of $1,250. Offences could also carry punishment of up to one-year imprisonment or a fine of up to $100,000 for an individual, and up to $10,000,000 for a corporation.

Under the provincial guidelines, the Town of Aurora can issue fines to individuals who do not comply with the following emergency orders:

• No gatherings of more than five people, inclusive of gatherings on private property, but excluding family members who reside at the same address.

• Trespassing in areas that are closed to the public, including parks, tennis courts, skateboard parks, sports fields, baseball diamonds, basketball courts, playgrounds, Sheppard’s Bush and the dog park.

• Closure of non-essential businesses.