Ticketed for having fun? Mom handed bylaw warning for kids playing

Coquiltam mom Jana D'Addabbo said she was taken aback to receive a bylaw warning about her kids playing in their neighbourhood. April 18, 2016. (CTV)

A Metro Vancouver mother-of-three is speaking out after she received a bylaw warning that her three children were playing too loudly outside.

Coquitlam resident Jana D’Addabbo told CTV News she encourages her kids to spend time outdoors rather than watching TV when the weather is nice.

“I want them outside, getting fresh air, enjoying the sunshine, getting active,” D’Addabbo said.

That’s one reason she was upset to find a notice of violation from the city taped to her front door over the weekend. The warning stated that her children had been creating “noise that disturbs.”

D’Addabbo admits her kids – a six-year-old boy and eight-year-old twin boy and girl – can be loud, but said her neighbours have never reached out to tell her it’s a problem.

“I find it very bizarre. If you have an issue, come talk to me. I’ll try and keep my kids quiet,” she said.

But the issue is a little more complicated than that, according to some in the neighbourhood.

One woman, who asked not to be named for fear of backlash, told CTV News that while she’s not the person who filed a complaint about the family, she can understand why someone might have had concerns.

“Coarse language, behaviour that can endanger others. That’s from a parent perspective and a member of the neighbourhood, and that’s why I can appreciate that there could be complaints,” she said.

Residents have tried handling the situation on their own by talking to D’Addabbo directly, she added, but there was no resolution.

The family was issued a similar warning last year. Coquitlam Mayor Richard Stewart said handing out violation notices was a last resort by both the city and bylaw officers.

“It’s a very extreme case of disturbing behaviour from a group of children – and from some adults – that has disturbed the neighbourhood,” Stewart said.

D’Addabbo insists her children are just having fun, riding scooters, drawing on sidewalks and playing sports.

“What’s next?” she asked. “They’re going to play outside, am I going to get a ticket this time?”

With a report from CTV Vancouver’s Julie Nolin