Toddler program turfed from parkette
While nobody likes the sound of kids crying, for some people it seems the sound of kids playing isn’t much better.
Sportball, a children’s sports program, has been turfed from Lynndale Parkette in the Beach, mid-program, after residents complained of an “unsafe and noisy environment” created by the classes.
Sportball staff were advised by the city that they and parents would be subject to a fine if they returned, said Carmella Gelgor, part of Sportball’s management team.
The culprits? A bunch of toddlers, learning elementary sport skills.
“They’re not even able to play a game yet,” said Cathy Abji, laughing. Her 4year-old daughter, Asha, is enrolled in Sportball’s soccer program. “They’re just moving around pylons and just having fun.”
Sportball offered classes three days a week at the parkette, for a total of six hours every week. The classes are for children aged 16 months to 5 years old. While the maximum class size is10, most have only four or five kids enrolled, said Gelgor.
In the two weeks since the program began, local Councillor Gary Crawford told the Star, his office received about a dozen inquiries about it from residents, which were forwarded to the city.
According to Crawford, some questioned why a permit had been issued at the parkette at all, due to its small size. He said city staff were “inundated” with complaints from neighbours.
Matthew Cutler, public relations manager with Toronto’s Parks, Forestry and Recreation division, said residents voiced concerns about noise and increased traffic.
Gelgor said Sportball received a call from the city saying its permit had been revoked. “When the city says you have to move, you move,” she said.
The program has since been moved to a park at nearby Blantyre Public School. But according to Cutler, the decision to move Sportball was not based on an assessment of the program itself.
“I wouldn’t say that we’ve made any determination about what kind of noise or behaviour is appropriate for that park,” Cutler said. “We never got to that level of analysis.”
Instead, the change of location was an attempt to accommodate both sides.
“Our first approach is always to balance those needs and find a solution that works for everybody, which I think is what happened in this case,” Cutler said.
But parents are unimpressed — bemused that their toddlers’ program could be the source of alarm.
“It’s completely ridiculous,” said Abji, “How can little kids be that disruptive? They’re just having fun. They like the water breaks more than anything,” she said.
Abji’s sentiment is mirrored by other Sportball parents.
“It’s crazy,” said Meagan Ryder of the safety concerns. Ryder’s 3-yearold son, Grayson, participates in one of the Sportball programs. “It’s literally six pylons.”
Ryder said she selected the class to suit Grayson’s 7 p.m. bedtime. The latest Sportball class at the parkette ended at 7 p.m., while the earliest began at 9 a.m.
Though both Crawford and city representatives cited resident concerns as grounds for the move, some neighbours seemed baffled by the decision.
Brian Hill, whose house backs onto the parkette from Anndale Rd., said that he had no problem with the sports program. “I live right on it and I heard no sound,” he said.
Hill said he grew up playing sports in the parkette, “and we made a lot more noise then!” Paul Stoner, who also lives on the park, said he was not even aware of the program. “I didn’t hear or see them.”
“It really doesn’t make sense,” Hill said, “That’s what a park is for.”
To Gelgor, the concerns regarding Sportball have been seriously misplaced.
“There’s a lot of stuff going on that we need to worry about,” Gelgor said. “We don’t need to worry about little kids playing.”