‘It’s not fair:’ Toronto orders removal of basketball hoop from curb in front of Scarborough home

Members of a Scarborough family found themselves in a battle with city hall over a basketball net.

A Scarborough family is expressing their frustration after their basketball hoop was hit by the driver of a garbage truck, prompting the city to issue a formal order demanding its removal.

Melissa Riley tells CTV News Toronto that her family has had their basketball hoop out on the front curb of their Scarborough home for at least six years. She says her two kids, ages 13 and 16, frequently play ball together with the other children in the neighbourhood.

But the net was downed on the morning of Aug. 26, when a garbage truck was going along its route in the Scarborough neighbourhood.

In video shared with CTV News Toronto, the garbage truck’s side loader is seen picking up their trash bin without issue, dumping out the contents with ease, before slamming into the hoop’s backboard, the parts clashing loudly against each other as it collapses.

“My husband came out and the garbage truck driver took some pictures,” Riley recounted. “He said it was his fault. He admitted to that and said that he would (take) some pictures to provide it to the city so they can contact my husband regarding … getting reimbursed for it, I guess.”

After the accident, Riley says another city staffer came to their door and told her and her husband, Kevin, the same thing, providing information on who to contact.

“(Kevin) did that, he sent the pictures, he sent the videos,” Riley said.

Days later, however, on Sept. 3, Riley says another city employee came up to their door and handed them a violation notice for their broken hoop.

In the document, reviewed by CTV News Toronto, the city noted where the basketball net was placed encroached on the municipal road and was “impeding garbage collection activities.”

“You must remove (the) basketball net placed on city property immediately,” the notice reads, with a Transportation Services Permits and Enforcement business card stapled on the upper left corner.

This frustrated Riley. She said the basketball hoop had stood in the same spot for years without issue, noting there were other nets placed out by their neighbours seemingly without a problem.

“The city does not maintain that area of grass, at all,” Riley said, referring to the grassy verge at the end of her driveway. “I understand (it’s) city property, but we are the ones that maintain it. We’ve had that net there for so long, why hasn’t anybody told us before that it was a violation until this moment happened?”

For its part, the city says basketball nets are allowed to be on the curb when it is being used but adds it has to be taken down after or placed back on private property.

“Unauthorized items can obstruct operations, pose safety risks and cause damage. Violations may result in fines, item removal or cost recovery under Municipal Code Chapter 743,” the emailed statement reads. That chapter of the city’s code outlines what is, and is not, permitted on public streets and sidewalks.

Riley says she just want to be able to put another basketball net out there for her children, wishing the city would take accountability.

“It’s not fair what the city has done, it was an accident, you broke the net, that’s fine. But why has it gotten to this point where you’re saying that it’s our fault for having the net there?” Riley asked. “It’s just an unfair situation.”

The city says residents who believe maintenance workers damaged their property can file a claim online.

With files from CTV News Toronto’s John Musselman and Rahim Ladhani