Help Restore Crossbow Use.

[hiredgun]

The help of all archers is required to restore crossbow use at the public archery range in Toronto. Briefly, the City of Toronto has a public archery range in ET Seton Park (behind the Ontario Science Centre). For more than 25+ years all types of bows including crossbows were allowed to be used. Three years ago, the relevant Parks bylaw was changed by mistake to place crossbows in the group of items that require a permit for parks use. For more than 3 years and filing Freedom of Information requests, I have been unsuccessful in restoring crossbow use. Parks Director, Andy Koropeski has refused to issue any crossbow permits to anyone, no matter how qualified, how senior or how disabled.

I am seeking that each of the candidates for mayor in the City of Toronto commit to the restoration of crossbow use at the range (There has never been an accident with crossbows and the refusal to issue permits is thought be "political correctness"), Archers can help by contacting the following persons and stating that you are in favour in restoring crossbow use to the Toronto archery range and it is a waste of taxpayers money to require individuals to go to the Human Rights Commission to get a crossbow permit. If you are a Toronto resident, please ask the candidates for mayor to get back to you with their position on this matter. I am confident if archers contact the candidates, crossbow use will be restored. If you are not a Toronto resident, contact each of these persons and the Director of Parks, stating that you support the restoration of crossbow use and are against expensive human rights litigation. If any person can repost this message on other archery websites, it would be greatly appreciated.

Remaining Candidates for Mayor
Rob Ford
telephone 416-628-8576
email rob@robfordformayor.ca

Joe Pantalone
telephone 416-534-2611
email press@majorjoe.ca

George Smitherman
telephone 416-342-9674, fax 416-479-3894
email info@georgesmitherman.ca

Director of Parks
Richard Ubbens
telephone 416-392-7911 fax 416-397-4899
email rubbens@toronto.ca

General Manager, Parks, Forestry, Recreation (boss of Director of Parks)
Brenda Patterson
email bpatter2@toronto.ca

Former Director of Parks
Andy Koropeski
email akoropes@toronto.ca

[Dereck]

Sent a non combative letter to Andy Koropeski

[hiredgun]

Thanks Dereck for emailing Koropeski, the Parks Director. Thats one email sent, another 199 or so to go. I know we can turn this around with enough persons emailing, writing, or calling the candidates or the Parks Director to restore crossbow use at the public archery range.

[ComfyBear]

I emailed Rob Ford, as I figure he's going to be the next Toronto Mayor.

[hiredgun]

Thanks to Comfy Bear for the email to Rob Ford. The polls do suggest Ford will win. I believe that emails to all candidates will raise the crossbow matter but Ford and Smitherman are the front runners. The Director of Parks, Andy Koropeski has told me that I am the only person interested in crossbow use at the Toronto archery range. Please prove him wrong with an email. Thanks to all who have emailed and not posted on the forum. Forum posts are important as they give an indication of how we are doing with crossbow restoration.

[ecoaster]

Emails have been sent to Rob and Andy.

[Dereck]

Tried to post the response I got from Andy but it didn't work.
Anyway he says it is not up to him to change Council issues and it is not his responsibility to issue permits to override the council decision.
In other words he makes no stand for or against just like a politician.
Good luck with this one.

[hiredgun]

The bylaw, which was modified by mistake, states that crossbow use requires a permit. Andy has CHOSEN NOT to issue any permits, no matter how qualified, how senior or how disabled the applicant. He has the authority to issue permits but refuses to do so. I continue to believe that if the new political masters are aware of the crossbow matter, they will simply direct Koropeski to issue permits. Ultimately this is a matter for the Ontario Human Rights Commission, since many other jurisdictions allow seniors and the disabled to use crossbows when other persons can not. This fight can be won. Thanks for any help with sending emails. Ford, Smitherman and Rossi are the front runners for mayor if you only have time for a few emails. When crossbow use is restored, I am going to host a BBQ at the archery range for all who helped.

[ecoaster]

Here is the response I got from Rob Ford. A typical politician response which successfully managed to say a lot, yet sit on the fence and not address the issue. Seems like a canned response sent out by one of his helpers. Good luck with this fight.


Hi Steve

Thank you so much for taking the time to share your ideas with me. Listening to the concerns of the people of Toronto is very important to me. As Mayor of Toronto, I can assure you that I will continue to listen to your concerns and suggestions, and bring them to City Hall. Torontonians need a government that works for them.

We would love to have your help on the campaign, if you are able. If you're interested in volunteering, putting up a lawn sign, or getting updates from the campaign, can you please send us your contact information (address, phone number)?

Thanks again. If there's anything I can do for you, please do not hesitate to let me know.

Sincerely,

Rob Ford
rob@robfordformayor.ca
http://www.robfordformayor.ca

[hiredgun]

Hi ecoaster: I think you are entirely correct- Ford's response looks a generic one and is probably the same for every issue. Having said that, he is the current front runner and I request that anyone who receives a "generic" response to a crossbow email, write again requesting a specific response. Numerous emails will make crossbows a "city wide" issue to the mayor candidates as there is only ONE public archery range in the entire city. If the candidates get enough emails, they will restore crossbow use. Thanks to all who are in this fight to restore parks use.

[awshucks]

fixed send this back to him

Hi Ron!

Thank you so much for taking the time to Listening to the concerns of the people of Toronto as it's very important to us and is very important to me. As Mayoral Candidate of Toronto, I can assure you I will do all I can to aid your campaign perhaps by handing out brochures, getting minor contributions and placing sings. We have a lot of places for the right signs..

We would love to have your help on the campaign,too if you are able.?
We had a great idea of combining your proelctrion signs w/ ours How about
Ron's our man
Lets have crossbows
Like Ron's stand!

Thanks again. If there's anything we can do for you, and when our signs are ready, please do not hesitate to call me and we can get started on a good mayor w/ a good program that lot's will take advantage of.

Sincerely,

Rob Ford

[ecoaster]

Another response. This one from Andy.


Thank you for your e-mail concerning the use of crossbows at the archery range at E. T. Seaton Park in the City of Toronto.

This archery range, we believe, is the only municipal unsupervised facility available to the public of its kind in Canada. Rules and safety instructions are clearly posted on signage at the site. These, in turn, are governed by the Parks By-law (City of Toronto Municipal Code Chapter 608 - Parks).

Please be aware that Parks, Forestry and Recreation Division staff and officials do not approve or enact by-laws; this is the purview of City Council. Thus Council has the authority to regulate the parks, including establishing prohibitions, whether or not these may be applicable in other jurisdictions. Council approved the Parks By-law provisions, among which included those related to bow and arrow use, several years ago, and there has not been any change respecting the regulations on crossbows anytime recently. The only way to change the by-law provisions respecting crossbows would be for City Council to do so, and I can tell you to date, there has not been any impetus to revisit this matter. I would also note that hunting, whether by crossbow, vertical bow and arrow or any other weapon is certainly not permitted at the archery range or any other parkland in the City of Toronto.

By explicitly differentiating crossbows from other types of bows and arrows in the definitions of the relevant sections of Ch. 608, Council specifically established its intent not to allow crossbow use in designated areas of the City parks (ie. the archery range) without permit. With respect to considering the issuance of a permit as means of gaining exemption to the provisions of the by-law in order to allow use of crossbows by individuals contrary to the regulation set out, such use of the parks permitting system in this way clearly undermines its fundamental intent of generally allocating use and time-sharing of park space and facilities, and facilitating special community events. It is not a license system geared to providing individuals exemptions to carry out activities that Council has deemed, by by-law, to be inappropriate.

I hope this explains the situation and background related to the long-standing restrictions on crossbow use in city parks and the E. T Seaton Park archery range.

Yours truly,


Andrew Koropeski, P.Eng.
Director of Parks
Parks, Forestry and Recreation Division
City of Toronto
Email: akoropes@toronto.ca

[hiredgun]

There a few problems with Andy's standard reply. At least there has been some change in his position about crossbows. First, he now states that crossbows are a type of bow and arrow- this is different from the previous Park's position that crossbows were not bows and arrows. Second, he continues to refer to the archery range as unsupervized - meaning no City unionized workers are continually present. The correct term is "self supervized"- that is supervized by the users as is common at most private shooting ranges. Third, he states that the Toronto range is unique, not so, there is a public, self supervized archery range in Sherbrooke, QC, were crossbows are welcome. There may be other public ranges but no one has told me about them yet. If you know of a public range in your community, please let Andy know. Third, his reasoning that a crossbow permit in part A would negate Part B, is simply wrong. The bylaw was amended by MISTAKE; even if it wasn't, Council placed crossbows in a group of items that require a permit. If there was an intent to actually prohibit crossbows entirely there would not be a provision for a permit. Lastly, Andy's supervisor, Linda Patterson, the General Manager of Parks, Recreation and Forestry has written to me that permits will be issued to groups for competitions (following police consultation) but permits will not be issued to individuals. Please keep up the emails to the candidates for mayor (There is no need to email Sarah Thomson- she has dropped out of the race). Three weeks remain in this mayor and this fight is winnable. Thanks.