Street hockey ban up for debate at city hall Monday

A suburban Toronto councilloris vowingto stickhandlea compromise solution to a problem that is keepingkids fromenjoyingan age-old Canadian tradition: street hockey.

Ward 25 - Don Valley West Coun. Jaye Robinson chairs the public works and infrastructure committee, which is scheduledto debate a report from city staff on Monday.

The report saysthe long-time policy that bans hockey nets from the streets should remain in place.

"Street hockey is a great Canadian tradition and I understand city staff's position but I also empathize with people who are frustrated by this policy," she said Tuesday.

Robinsonsaid she'll be speak with other councillors between now and Monday and come up with a compromise in order to keep the issue "alive and moving forward" at city hall.

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Although the ban on hockey and basketball nets on the roads or on boulevards has been in place for generations, it's only enforced if there's a complaint, said Robinson, which happens only rarely.

But last September, about 20 families on Esgore Drive, in the Wilson Avenue and Avenue Road area, were threatened with $90 fines from the city if they did not remove hockey and basketball netsfrom the street within 20 days. The neighbours' councillor, Christin Carmichael Greb, brought the issue to council, where it was picked up by the public works and infrastructure committee.

'Are we gonna ban Halloween?'

That committee asked for a report from transportation services, which is recommending no change to the existing ban, on the grounds of safety and liability.

Even Mayor John Tory weighed in on the issue last fall, suggesting that a ban is too harsh and that a compromise should be worked out.

"Most kids and their parents are sensible enough to move the hockey nets off the streets when they see cars coming along," he said at the time. "What's next? Are we gonna ban Halloween?"