Scarborough residents baffled by basketball net crackdown

Several residents on the same Scarborough street are angry and perplexed after they all received notices from the city, warning them they had just three days to remove their basketball nets from the curbside after several years of hoops harmony.

Tony Cacciatore moved to his Scarborough-Rouge Park neighbourhood in 2019 and has had both a basketball and hockey net at the foot of his driveway since then. This week he was given a yellow notice from a city worker telling him those nets had to go.

At first he was angry and confused, he said, over why he was being singled out on a street where there are about a dozen homes with similar nets. He’s since learned that all of his neighbours got the same warning, but his frustration remains.

“It’s been there a long time, the kids get good use out of it,” said Cacciatore, saying it’s an effective way to help reduce screen and phone time for his children.

When he moved into his new home, he was aware they could obstruct city workers, so he put care into making sure the nets wouldn’t get in the way.

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“At my previous house, actually a snow plow did hit a basketball net on our street, so I realized, aha, don’t have them overhanging on the curb,” he said. In six years, he said he’s never had an issue with solid waste pickup or snow clearing.

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The city declined an interview on the matter, saying no one was available to answer questions. But a city spokesperson told Global News the municipal right-of-way needs to be kept clear to support snow and waste collection. The city clarified that nets are allowed at the curbside, but need to be removed when they’re not in use so they don’t obstruct city work or become a safety hazard.

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Cacciatore and his neighbour, Lynn Rowerth, who also received a warning, think it’s more of a safety risk to remove nets on a daily basis. In fact, all the homes on the street were weighted down with heavy patio stones or cinder bocks to keep them stationary. Cacciatore said it’s unrealistic to expect his daughter to remove the items every time she wants to play.

Rowerth, who initially worried she triggered the crackdown after calling the city when her green bin wasn’t collected, also points out no one told them moving the nets was even an option.

After the city flirted with banning tobogganing in some parks last winter and bylaws banning road hockey in other wards, Cacciatore said he thinks the city is focused on the wrong issues.

The ward’s newly-elected councillor, Neethan Shan, told Global News in an emailed statement he’s going to work with the city and residents to find a solution.

“Scarborough families need more places for their kids to play near their homes,” read the statement. “I support our local families and their children in gathering together to play freely and safely in their communities.”