The City of Toronto took down a sign on the fence of a baseball diamond in the west end after an image of the rules made its rounds on social media as an example of city overregulation.
The sign at MacGregor Playground on Lansdowne Avenue banned the use of hardballs and aluminum bats, competitive and high-level play, and restricted pitching to underhand throws exclusively. The sign, introduced in 2019, originally said “home runs are not allowed” as well, but that part was removed due to backlash.
“If the fun police have a Mission Statement,” one X user said. Another read, “No fun permitted. Absolutely none.”
Others took the sign as an indication of a declining society.
Jennifer Keesmaat, the former chief planner for the city, posted on X that the citizens of Toronto should ignore the sign and “swing for the fences always!”
“It was written in error by a hapless bureaucrat,” she said.
In a follow-up post on Monday evening, Keesmaat said, “I made some calls” and that the sign should be down “imminently.”
“Due to the proximity of the field at MacGregor Park to nearby residences, balls are to remain within the playing field to avoid damaging property and potentially hurting residents. These specifications are outlined in permits for leagues utilizing the diamond to limit home runs/balls going out of the field,” a city representative told True North in an email.
They told us that new signage was introduced in 2019 to inform users of this requirement.
Physical changes were also made in response to ongoing complaints from residents of the neighbouring condominiums and the former local councillor about stray balls damaging property.
They said they added netting, planted additional trees, and reviewed the types of permits issued at the diamond to address the neighbourhood’s safety concerns.
