Shore fishing illegal in Toronto Harbor? WTFFFFFF

[tangledline]

dave mercer has been sent email
bob izumi has been sent email
ontariooutofdoors has been sent email

[tangledline]

ang and pete from fish'n canada emailed

[tangledline]

doug ford has been emailed
councillor pam mcconnel (toronto islands and part harbourfront) has been contacted

[tangledline]

marine unit commander
david mcleod
has been contacted

[tangledline]

just finnished a phone conversation with the toronto marine unit public relations officer.....
he will get back to me later today
he is in conversation with harbourfront centre management....
bad news is likely the outcome
i am told by police that prohibitted signs or not if the harbourfront centre owns the property or even the slip wall
that they are not required to post signs that prohibit fishing...they can just tell you to leave....
if you do not leave police will be called and you will be charged.
basically what has changed this past year is that harbourfront security is enforcing their existing rules because the harbourfront area has become so much more congested with multiple activity users they feel that fishing endangers other users of the harbourfront.
now harbourfront security have been quoting laws that are not their own but regardless they are the private property owners.
we will have to show the city and public that we have been pushed out and would like to have an area along harbourfront to fish
could a comprimise be made and an area designated for fishing simular to dog park.....

[tangledline]

marine unit commander has changed from above but emails and calls have been resubmitted

[jwm]

I'll be passing this thread to some local journalist and magazines I know (Toronto Sun, Ontario Out of Doors, etc)

[tangledline]

at this stage ...port authority and marine unit have clarified fishing areas that are ok

toronto islands...not marinas, water filtration plant, private property, beaches or where posted by toronto parks
but the shoreline and canals and ponds are ok to fish....but remember the safety of others.....

west of ferry docks is a snall slip with a concrete globe and waterfall on its west side...you may fish there unless we upset the condo residents
thus be respectfull..... do not fish york quay slip east of the waterfall and globe as that is harbourfront centre territory.

hto park...so new no one in the dept has been notified of its status.....

coronation park west of the west gap near ontario place.....

there is public park space just west of ontario place

leslie spit on the weekends

ashbridges bay park at the outer pennisula

bluffers park in only a few areas watch for signs of no fishing areas

i believe thats it
fishing pressure will be hard on the fish so please practice catch and release....thanks

[jwm]

OK, I've sent off an email to several journalists and toronto organizations that work on the islands and harbourfront. My biggest problem in all this is that the TPA jursdiction covers the entire harbourfront from the mouth of the humber to the eastern beaches including the toronto islands. This effectively means that the if no fishing bylaw can be enforced on the city side it can also be enforced on the islands where the city actively promotes shore fishing.

24. No person shall fish from shoreline unless in an authorized area designated by posted signs.

There are no such signs on the Toronto Islands, and according to this bylaw (which has never been enforced on the islands afaik), could be made illegal with no changes to the law or signage.

[jwm]

Hey guys getting lots of replies to the email I sent out this morning and suggestions for more people and organizations to send it to. I will probably send out another batch when I get home tonight.