Just tell parents to use sunscreen, councillor suggests

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Toronto parks staff will be going ahead with pilot projects across the city looking at ways to increase shade in city parks and play areas, after Toronto Council voted down a plan by Ward 16 (Eglinton-Lawrence) Councillor Karen Stintz to put the project on hold.

"Fundamentally, what this comes down to is a question of what business the city is in, and what business it should be in," said Stintz at the Thursday, July 17, meeting of Toronto Council. "The reality is that if suntan lotion can do the job, we should encourage people to use suntan lotion and we should make adjustments that make sense. But we don't need to create an entire industry around shade."

Stintz had wanted the city to slow down on work on the shade policy - embarked upon at the urging of Toronto Public Health as a way to protect children from exposure to skin-cancer-causing UV radiation in city play areas.

She asked council to instead embark on a more informal plan of speaking to staff who work in city parks and training them to deal with sun exposure issues in parks users - and to plant trees where necessary.

Council ended up supporting Stintz partially - the new shade policy will now include an educational component that reminds parents to make sure children are protected with sun-block and hats on sunny days. But councillors voted to continue to go ahead with the pilot projects, of which there will be eight across the city.

Ward 21 (St. Paul's) Councillor Joe Mihevc pointed out that the pilot projects did not necessarily indicate any additional staff being hired - a worry that several other councillors raised.

"People have made a mountain out of a molehill," said Mihevc.

"They're not looking at increasing staff - most of the resources that will be needed is trees. In some places it's gazebos; in some places it's a sail. They're just not looking at a big increase in resources - they are looking to protect children and play sites."