Ontario boy receives fine of over $700 for shooting hoops

Last Wednesday, a 17-year-old was approached by two bylaw officers on an outdoor basketball court in Ottawa and hit with a heavy fine.

William Vogelsang thought the ban on shooting hoops was only for groups as he played by himself at Eva James Memorial Community Centre just like the day before, according to CBC News.

Right away, the officers told him that he couldn’t be playing basketball there.

“And I was like, 'Oh, I'm sorry about that, I'll be leaving,'” Vogelsang said.

He said that despite his offer to leave straight away, the officers said they had to give him a ticket.

“I've never gotten in trouble like that before,” he said. “It was a big incident. Everyone's walking past with their dogs. I was getting nervous and embarrassed.”

Vogelsang said the bylaw officers asked for his identification but he didn’t have it on him. He told them he could get his mom to text him a picture of it or go get it himself. The officers instead called Ottawa police who showed up in about 20 minutes.

“I was scared,” the teen said.

Vogelsang was more shocked when the fine amounted to over $700.

“I get [home], I tell my mom and I start crying because I'm nervous and all this stress is on me,” he said.

“It's hard times right now. I didn't want my parents to pay it because I feel like it's my responsibility.”

When speaking with CBC, Vogelsang’s dad—Robert—described the alleged bylaw officers’ behaviour as “disgusting” and “bullying.”

He added that his son tries to exercise everyday and has Type 1 diabetes.

“A warning would have been sufficient to scare William off,” said Robert.

He made a complaint to the city after the incident.

Ottawa bylaw officers have been receiving criticism for being too harsh while enforcing the new rules in general.

During a previous incident, a 20-year-old refugee was given a $880 ticket after letting his little siblings play in a park. Another incident included two women who were given tickets for sitting on a park bench.

In Ottawa, people are prohibited from operating non-essential businesses, gathering in groups of more than five, and using city parks and public facilities.

The bylaw officer is able to make their own decision on whether to issue a warning or give a fine, according to the Ottawa director of bylaw and regulatory services, Roger Chapman.

The team of 125 bylaw officers has responded to 2,500 calls since the province closed parks and facilities three weeks ago. Parks are inspected 280 times a day by the 40 officers who are on duty at a time.

They have issued 75 tickets in that time with over three-quarters of them being for use of parks.

“You can see that the charges are very low in comparison to the amount of complaints that we've actually received,” Chapman said.

“We know that people's lives have been turned upside down,” Chapman added. “They're members of these communities too, and they have children. They understand the impacts of people not being able to use these green spaces.”

Chapman spoke of “previous incidents” in the area of Eva James park.

“It is an area frequented for people playing basketball, so it is one that we're monitoring on a regular basis,” he said. “Although this individual may not have been warned in the past, we have had some contact with people in that park previously.”

“At some point, education has to [switch to enforcement]. But that's always a last resort,” Chapman added.

“Anybody who's been given a ticket to this point, there's still the ability to to appeal those charges,” said Chapman. “And eventually, when the courts open up, then the trials will be set at a later date.”