Toronto Police ‘Cracking Down on Illegal Tobogganing, Outdoor Hockey’

The City of Toronto is taking a harder stand against residents who illegally use city ice rinks.

Emergency management head Matthew Pegg cautioned Wednesday that paid-duty police and municipal security officers will beef up patrols at the city’s 54 outdoor skating rinks.

Since Dec. 23, Toronto police have charged 19 people under the Trespass to Property Act for illegal acts of hockey on city-owned ice, Pegg said.

The city opened outdoor ice rinks Nov. 28 with strict rules — only reserved-space leisure skating is permitted from 10 a.m.-10 p.m. with a hard limit of 25 people at any time.

All other uses of outdoor ice, including shinny, are prohibited and those caught playing hockey will be charged, city officials say.

Enforcement teams are also cracking down on illegal tobogganing on city ski and snowboarding hills.

“While we continue to do all we can to support safe outdoor activities, the use of closed ski and snowboard hills poses a significant risk of injury,” Pegg said.

A list of sanctioned tobogganing locations can be found on the city’s website.

Enforcement officers laid 13 charges for illegal gatherings on private property over Christmas.

Pegg said the city’s coordinated enforcement team — consisting of members of Toronto Police, city bylaw, licensing and standards and public health officers — issued 93 violation notices against large gatherings inside private homes, a rental property, a gaming house and a “liquor establishment.”

Thirty-three charges and 21 warnings were issued under the Reopening Ontario Act since Dec. 23, Pegg said, against a variety of businesses, including entertainment establishments, bars and restaurants, personal services providers, a badminton centre and retail stores.

A total of 1,795 charges were laid since the beginning of the pandemic, Pegg said.

Chief medical officer Eileen de Villa urged Toronto residents to prepare as the pandemic continues to spread, saying it’s “reasonable we should brace for an extended period of potentially unsettling and discouraging numbers.”

She reported a record 1,069 new infections on Wednesday.

Source: Toronto Sun