Even With Miller And Cronies Gone Silly Hall Will Still Be Fertile Ground

Denizens Of Toronto Silly Hall

Seniors tax City Hall

Pay-to-walk battle exposes trouble with city rules and enforcement

By SUE-ANN LEVY

Long-time Etobicoke resident Donald Foster put it best last week when he said he hoped Toronto's politicians learned they should never mess with seniors "who have computers and have made their living with their mouths."

The retired director of funeral service education at Humber College took on City Hall and won, because he was not content to let rest an incident with an over-zealous parks bylaw officer -- which coincidentally occurred on his 75th birthday (Sept. 21).

That officer, Tony Pacheco, stopped Foster and his group of 12 seniors as they were finishing their one-hour warm-up, demanding to see their permit -- costing $30/hr -- for the privilege of walking in the park.

When they and their group leader couldn't produce a permit, Pacheco took pictures of them and subsequently of their licence plates.

Foster, upset with the treatment, fired off a series of e-mails that very day to his councillor, Mark Grimes, and Mayor David Miller's office. Neither of them responded to him directly.

City officials weren't much better. As I've regularly seen at Socialist Silly Hall under Miller's leadership, officials will hardly, if ever, admit they're wrong -- stubbornly defending the most inane policies -- until they're backed into a corner by intense media pressure.

After days of such intense media coverage, Miller and Grimes finally backed down, calling for a "review" of the permit policy.

The incident, first revealed in this space last Sunday, proved to have legs most particularly because it involved seniors. But it also hit a raw nerve because Foster and his group exposed some real issues at City Hall.

They put a very public face on the incredible power unionized bylaw and parking control officers appear to have -- power which some misuse, unchecked, as if those they perceive not to be paying for some city service are guilty until proven innocent.

Ka-ching. Ka-ching. The city spending beast needs to be fed -- constantly.

But equally, Foster and his seniors brought to light one of those many edicts that have been put into place -- almost surreptitiously -- with no thought given to how the policy will be implemented.

I disagree with the idea of charging anyone to use a public park already generously paid for through our taxes. That said, it's all well and good to decree that those operating boot camps, fitness or yoga classes in parks -- in other words occupying space -- should obtain a permit at $30/hr to use that space.

RUNNING GROUPS

But did anybody give the slightest bit of thought as to what should happen to organized running groups, like mine, or walking groups like Foster's that simply pass through the parks regularly as part of their training? After all, walking and running groups don't pay to do the same on city streets (at least not yet).

The answer is no. Brenda Patterson, general manager of parks and recreation told me they will be "having a look at the application of this policy" to ensure "fair treatment" is given to all those using the parks.

Do the parks staff ensure the policy is applied consistently? No to that as well. They don't have the staff to do so.

Patterson said there are currently 83 commercial enterprises operating with permits in 49 parks. But the city has over 1,000 parks and parkettes. I'm betting they haven't begun to capture the number of commercial enterprises using city parks, and won't ever.

And shouldn't parks staff really be paying attention to those breaking the law in parks like drug dealers or those affecting one's quiet enjoyment like the homeless who regularly hang out on parks' benches?

But more than anything, this incident just proves how much the Miller regime has lost touch with ordinary, law-abiding, taxpaying constituents.

You'd think with an election looming a year from now, councillors like Mark Grimes wouldn't want to infuriate a very powerful voting group -- namely seniors -- as they've done this past week.

As Foster put it so succinctly: "It says to us that we need people in there (City Hall) who might use their brains in common sense situations ... instead of saying yes, this is inappropriate, they dug themselves a huge hole."

SUE-ANN.LEVY@SUNMEDIA.CA