Category Archives: Park Abuser

Morons in parks with fireworks.

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As far as nature is concerned, the May 24th weekend is the worst possible time to have fireworks going off. Spring is the time when animals nurture their fragile young and research has shown the devastation that fireworks can cause in wildlife. Imagine several nights when random bangs and flashing lights are cannonading through our city. This is what happens on our Victoria Day weekend every year. These days fireworks are widely available and they’re not always used responsibly.

Particular shame must go to the people who set fireworks off in parks. Even though it is illegal, law enforcement has bigger fish to fry. Tonight loud booms were echoing through Raymore Park (and no doubt others) accompanied by bright flashes of light. Park gates were still open at 11pm allowing vehicles to enter resulting in the fireworks being set off in the parking lot.

Luckily rain ended the show but the thoughtlessness of these people has likely distressed and perhaps killed some young animals in our parks.

Metrolinx wants to devastate nearby park.

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Metrolinx loves clearcutting. Their zeal in removing vegetation along rail corridors and ravines is well documented. They also want to chop down several century-old trees downtown on the Osgoode Hall grounds in spite of huge objections and seemingly better alternatives. Apparently Metrolinx knows better than the little people. This is the organization that is two years late in finishing the Eglinton Crosstown Line. Not only that but Metrolinx cannot provide an estimate of when the line will finally open – after more than eleven years of continuing disruption. Closer to home, Metrolinx is up to no good again and this time, they wish to clear-cut a large section of Fergy Brown and Emmet Parks and Ukrainian Canadian Memorial Park (adjoining Raymore Park).

The issue is that the Eglinton Line West Extension to Pearson Airport will be above ground and will parallel Eglinton Avenue and cross the Humber using a 1.5 km elevated track. Vegetation beneath the track will be cut back to avoid shorting out the high-voltage overhead cables that provide the power. Unlike the rest of the line, Metrolinx claims that this section has to be built above ground because they say it’s too expensive to go underground and under the Humber. Instead, an elevated LRT expressway-style bridge will be twinned with the existing road bridge and the precious parkland beneath and its wildlife will be razed. Parkland is far too precious to be destroyed in this manner and future generations will wonder about the barbarians who could do this to our diminishing wildlife and precious tree canopy.

The location of the proposed 1.5 km overhead rail line that will run north of and parallel to Eglinton. From Google maps. Click to enlarge.

Stop the Trains in our Parks is a group of concerned citizens who are fighting this proposal and will be demonstrating outside local MPP Mike Ford‘s office at 1832 Weston Road (350m south of Lawrence) on Thursday, December 15th at 2:00 p.m. They invite all who are concerned about the devastation this line will cause to our local parks to lend support through their presence and/or contacting Mr. Ford.

For more information contact STOP at mailto:stopthetrainsinourparks@gmail.com

Double Trouble.

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Plastic is a danger to wildlife in our parks.

Raymore Park attracts many people, drawn by its natural setting. It also has its fair share of visitors whose presence is a net detriment. The one responsible for this empty bag qualifies as doubly ignorant. First they bring their Dempsters 100% whole wheat bread scraps filled with some unwholesome ingredients*, attracting gulls and Canada geese while  training birds in general to approach humans. That’s not good enough apparently so they complete their (literal) douchebaggery by leaving the empty bag on the ground. The whole point of their visit seems to be the self-gratification obtained by watching wildlife jostle and beg for scraps.

*Ingredients of Dempsters 100% Whole Wheat Bread:

Whole grain whole wheat flour including the germ, water, glucose-fructose / sugar, yeast, vegetable oil (canola or soybean), wheat gluten, salt, vinegar, acetylated tartaric acid esters of mono and diglycerides, calcium propionate, sodium stearoyl-2-lactylate, sorbic acid, monoglycerides.

There is no shortage of material on the harmful effects of feeding bread to birds. Unfortunately the damage done isn’t evident at the time or else people might think twice.

Strange behaviour…

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As a regular in Raymore Park, people watching is part of the daily experience. Patterns of behaviour are often identifiable and the brain automatically assigns a category to people – for example dog walker, jogger, person in transit etc. This morning, I encountered a young woman walking in a way that defied easy categorization. She was coming from Scarlettwood Court and instead of joining the path, marched towards the river. I watched as she stepped down to the water’s edge and walked along the bank to the peninsula, her pace making it clear that she was not a sightseer. Once on the far bank, she retrieved a plastic bag from a holdall, quickly dropped the contents into the water and returned. In the meantime I moved closer and stood by her exit from the river. I looked at her questioningly and she retorted, ‘What?’.

‘What did you put in the river?’, I asked. She seemed embarrassed.

‘It’s wax’.

‘Why would you put wax in the river, why not throw it in a garbage bin?’

‘It’s private – something I had to do.’

She began to walk off.

‘Why poison the wildlife?’

‘I’m sorry’, she threw the remark over her shoulder and strode off, not looking back.

I walked down to the water and sure enough, the wax was floating exactly where it was dropped thanks to an onshore wind.

The wax, where it was dumped.

The wax, where it was dumped.

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A better look at the wax.

Having no shame, I lay on the bank and fished it out of the water – a substantial lump, possibly from a large candle or wax figure – and dumped it in the garbage.

Sorry, it's private.

Sorry, dumping waste in a public park is not a private act.

I’ll probably never know the story behind the wax; whether or not it was some kind of occult leftover that had to be sent to the ocean – one can speculate endlessly. I am sure that if karma, voodoo, Air Miles or any kind of points were being awarded today, this young woman scored a big fat zero.

Leeching the value from Raymore Park.

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I was heading through the wild area on Monday (Thanksgiving Day). I could hear a strange sound, not an animal noise but a squeaking; like a chew toy. As I approached the sound increased in intensity and there were small mounds of earth along the dirt path in the wild area.

Curious piles of soil.

Curious piles of soil.

As I drew closer the answer was revealed. A treasure hunter, wife and chihuahua in tow, was looking for valuables left behind by Hurricane Hazel victims. Not wishing to be confrontational, I adopted a friendly approach and asked the man if he was aware of the history of the site. His apprehension dissolved and he soon became keen to tell me all about his hobby. ‘Oh yes, there’s lots of good stuff buried. Last time I was here, I found a silver jewel case’. All the while, with his wife nodding approval, the man continued, using a smaller squeaky probe and shovel to ferret out anything metallic. Instead of removing this debris, he tossed it aside, not even adding a gram of benefit from his odious activity.

It’s hard to know how to defend historic sites against such predators. The provenance of items found is probably lost without a trace once they have been removed and sold.

Another worrying development recently has been a group of people who act as if the park is their own personal off-leash zone. They seem to be led by a lady who drives to the park and releases her three very active dogs (without collars) into the wild area. The dogs are constantly being yelled commands so she’s an obvious presence. She meets up with a couple of local residents and their five dogs are set loose to harass whatever wildlife they come across.

These people give responsible dog owners a bad name.

One of the offending dogs.

One of the offending dogs. The owner is nowhere to be seen.

The dogs arrive in this vehicle.

Three of the dogs arrive in this vehicle.

It saddens me to think of the wildlife that struggles to survive in an urban environment. Now they have to deal with this added burden. It’s inconsiderate and unfair. After all, there are lots of off leash parks in Toronto. Once people see this open flouting of park rules, others will surely follow.

These two sets of people are like leeches because they take from the park and add nothing. The park is diminished by their presence. Their selfish behaviour presents a massive middle finger to those who appreciate the history and the wildlife of Raymore Park.

Tim Hortons and Corporate Responsibility

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I don’t know what’s in Tim Hortons’ coffee but there must be an additive that makes some of their customers into irresponsible idiots. There’s a percentage of Timmies drinkers who seem to believe that nature will be enhanced by their discarded cup.

A sociopath was here.

A sociopathic calling card.

Now naturally you would think that Tim Hortons being a responsible Canadian corporation would be horrified that some customers are cavalier with their Timmie Trash™. After all, their mission  statement claims that ‘Our vision is to be the quality leader in everything we do.’ Given that, you might also think that the lid is made of biodegradable plastic. Wrong. Well at least the cups are paper and therefore biodegradable. Wrong again; they’re lined with plastic.

Tim Hortons must know that a significant percentage of its customers are tossers and that these cups degrade the visual and natural environment. They then become the responsibility of the taxpayer through street and park cleaning. They must also know that their refusal to use recyclable materials increases the burden on landfills. Tims apparently doesn’t care. If they did care, they would provide a meaningful percentage of profits towards solving the problem.

Back to our little nature lover who communed with nature this morning while enjoying a coffee. They had to pass a garbage can on the way out of the wild area. Even so, the thought of carrying the cup all the way back was too much and the cup had to be left for someone else (me).

Tosser!

Who’s poisoning the Humber?

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After a prolonged dry spell, it’s rare that water in the Humber is cloudy. Today, water in the river had an unpleasant opacity to it. I’ve seen this happen before under similar conditions and attempted to trace the source on my bike but it seems to be well north of Weston. You can see the comparison between today (August 25th) and last Monday (19th).

Notice that the spill is recent as water close to the shore is still clear.

Notice that the spill is recent as water close to the shore is still clear.

For comparison, Monday's view of the same spot.

For comparison, Monday’s view of the same spot.

Mother and baby are based in Raymore Park

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Yesterday, I saw the mother deer on her own in Raymore Park. She moved across the width of the park and moved slowly into the wild area right in front of my wife and I as we stood watching breathlessly.

White-tailed deer leave their young for hours on end while foraging and return to them to provide milk. Today the mother was on the Weston side of the river and waited until I moved upstream. The fawn will be safer on the far side as access is limited so hopefully, that’s where it is.

...standing motionless, waiting in the shadows.

…standing motionless, waiting in the shadows.

She crossed the river slowly and disappeared into the vegetation which, thanks to the rain is very tall this year.

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As I was leaving the wild area, I encountered a lady with four very active, off-leash border collies. On mentioning my deer sighting, she seemed to believe her dogs wouldn’t bother the deer and its fawn. In fact, she went told me that ungulates (yes, she used the word ungulates) are a leading cause of death to other animals and humans thanks to their hooves! She mentioned that one of her dogs had had an encounter with a deer recently and that the deer chased her dog and threatened it (with its hooves).

It’s not hard to imagine what would happen if any dog happened across the fawn while it was on its own and defenceless. In fact, any kind of encounter between wild and domestic animals should be avoided. To me, it seems irresponsible to invite such an encounter on a daily basis.

 

Even scofflaws need rules.

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The people who have painstakingly erected a course for their child’s toy car have set some boundaries for using the elaborate structure concealed in the bush of Raymore Park.

DSC02267While the sign won’t win any design awards, it’s succinct and gets the job done using plain English and accurate spelling. Although a bright shade of fluorescent orange would have been more prominent, it would have surely stretched the bounds of taste and anonymity. In addition, these folks sensibly rejected the use of confusing pictograms, and aiming at the literate, told it like it is. Bravo.

It’s nice to know that their faith in people following the rules isn’t tempered by their own example.

Litter idiot of the day.

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It’s rare when someone is so blatant as to drop garbage in front of witnesses but on Tuesday July 2nd, this elderly gent had no qualms. His diet Mountain Dew had been drained and what’s a man to do when he’s on a fitness walk? Carry it to the recycling bin conveniently located in the parking lot? Not a chance. Why not just toss it and hope someone is there to pick up after him. Calls to get his attention went unheeded and he gamely motored on.

Interestingly, the group in the distance on bicycles consists of four officers out of a group of 25 who have been assigned to patrol the Weston area for the summer. If my wife can walk alone and without weapons through the park and streets of Weston, why oh why do our police feel a grouping of four is the minimum necessary to feel safe while on patrol?