Councillor to table motion opposing tobogganing ban at Toronto parks

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Toronto Councillor Brad Bradford said he is introducing a motion to city council to overturn the tobogganing ban at 45 parks in the city.

“Torontonians have made it loud and clear: they want their city to embrace opportunities for fun outdoor winter activities like tobogganing. Together with Mayor (Olivia) Chow, I look forward to bringing this motion to council next week to end the toboggan ban,” Bradford said in a post on the social-media site X, which included a link to a petition.

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The Beaches-East York councillor said signs posted earlier this month in 45 parks with hills that say tobogganing is restricted hasn’t stopped people from do so.

As it stands, tobogganing is allowed at 29 hills in 27 parks.

The ban at the other parks, approved by city council last month, is due to liability concerns. If a person is hurt while tobogganing, a lawsuit could be filed against the city for damages.

Bradford said the city should return to using hay bales and snow fences that reduce the risks of tobogganing.

“In past years, the city would set up up fencing and hay bails to mitigate risks of permanent objects in parks, like light posts or trees. If my motion is successful at council this week, we are going to install the hay bales and snow fencing like we always do. We can have snow in February, March and April and that is not unheard of,” Bradford said on Citytv.

Bradford’s petition to overturn the ban can be found here.

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