Toronto crossbow alert
Toronto crossbow alert
The City of Toronto has recently banned crossbows from the public archery range in Sunnybrook Park behind the Ontario Science Centre. I have met with Roger Macklin the supervisor and Bob Crump the area manager in an attempt to change this policy. (For more than 10 years all types of bows have been permitted at the range). I found out that they tried to close the range for all archers but had to back down when presented with a 200 name petition from traditional archers. What I need is for Toronto residents to contact their local councillor to complain about this recreational restriction. I have prepared a background information sheet on the issue. Please contact me here or preferably at m.mccleery@3web.com if you can help. The Sunnybrook range is the only public archery range in the City of Toronto. I believe that this decision can be reversed if enough political pressure can be brought to bear. Thanks.
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Grizzly Adam
- Posts: 5701
- Joined: Fri Aug 04, 2006 8:36 pm
- Location: Decatur County, Indiana
Bstout, they are not "Traditional" shooters. I am told they are the (or part of) the Olympic team of Canada. No one (including the city) wanted to claim responsibility for the care and up-keep of the range. Targets were damaged and worn out by high powered bows and vandals so the Olympic Team assumed responsibility and up-keep of the range. Trouble with this is that it is not kept up and out of maybe twenty shooting positions I saw two that were usable. The rules of the range state that you cannot bring you own targets and yet there are only two shootable positions? I also have never seen anyone assuming the Range Officer position. Oh yeah, the grass is rarely kept cut short and its bad enough that any errant arrows are gonesville.
Some people just like stepping on rakes
A few background facts for people not familiar with the facility, before people get more upset.
This range is in a public park right in the city of Toronto. It is a large flat field in a river valley, with high wooded hills on 3 sides, and is fenced in with a tall chain-link fence on all 4 sides, with just 2 open gates. There is one shooting line, a few benches and a posted sign with the range safety rules. There are about 12 target stands at distances from 18 to 90 meters. There is no supervision or range officer. The range is as safe as is reasonable to set up, and for anyone to get onto the range and wander around by the targets without being seen by the archers is extremely unlikely.
The range is has been open to the public during daylight hours 365 days/year for as long as I've been in archery, at least 30 years. There have never been any restrictions regarding anyone shooting any style of equipment, from longbows to recurve to compound to crossbow, target or hunting. No broadheads, of course.
Only this year have crossbows been banned - I can't say who at the Parks Department of City Hall made that regulation, or who made the suggestion to the authorities that got them to make that decision.
The range is not in any way associated officially with the Canadian Olympic team. There are a few members of the Team, current and from previous years, plus the current team coach, who live in the area and use the range regularly. That coach also instructs beginner and intermediate level members of her club there, all of whom are "olympic style" recurve shooters. That coach also has organized and run some FITA qualifying tournaments at that location for interested recurve and compound archers.
In the past the target butts have alwys been replaced every spring by the Parks department. I have not been to this range personally in over 5 years, and can only go on what I've heard second-hand, but in the past few years, increasing incidents of vandalism have caused the Parks Department to delay and/or discontinue regular maintenance.
As for the petition from 200 "traditional" archers - that would have been likely from the coach's club members and other recurve/compound shooters who use the range. I would suspect the word "traditional" was probably intended to refer to regular, or what crossbow shooters refer to as "vertical" bow shooters, as opposed to crossbows, and not what in archery circles is generally called "trad".
Please do not turn this thread into a bash about the Canadian Olympic team, or rekindle a war between vertical and horizontal shooters, or between target and hunting archers.
If you have any interest in keeping the range in operating condition and open to all archers shooting all types of equipment in a safe manner, please voice your concerns in the manner suggested in the opening post of this thread.
This range is in a public park right in the city of Toronto. It is a large flat field in a river valley, with high wooded hills on 3 sides, and is fenced in with a tall chain-link fence on all 4 sides, with just 2 open gates. There is one shooting line, a few benches and a posted sign with the range safety rules. There are about 12 target stands at distances from 18 to 90 meters. There is no supervision or range officer. The range is as safe as is reasonable to set up, and for anyone to get onto the range and wander around by the targets without being seen by the archers is extremely unlikely.
The range is has been open to the public during daylight hours 365 days/year for as long as I've been in archery, at least 30 years. There have never been any restrictions regarding anyone shooting any style of equipment, from longbows to recurve to compound to crossbow, target or hunting. No broadheads, of course.
Only this year have crossbows been banned - I can't say who at the Parks Department of City Hall made that regulation, or who made the suggestion to the authorities that got them to make that decision.
The range is not in any way associated officially with the Canadian Olympic team. There are a few members of the Team, current and from previous years, plus the current team coach, who live in the area and use the range regularly. That coach also instructs beginner and intermediate level members of her club there, all of whom are "olympic style" recurve shooters. That coach also has organized and run some FITA qualifying tournaments at that location for interested recurve and compound archers.
In the past the target butts have alwys been replaced every spring by the Parks department. I have not been to this range personally in over 5 years, and can only go on what I've heard second-hand, but in the past few years, increasing incidents of vandalism have caused the Parks Department to delay and/or discontinue regular maintenance.
As for the petition from 200 "traditional" archers - that would have been likely from the coach's club members and other recurve/compound shooters who use the range. I would suspect the word "traditional" was probably intended to refer to regular, or what crossbow shooters refer to as "vertical" bow shooters, as opposed to crossbows, and not what in archery circles is generally called "trad".
Please do not turn this thread into a bash about the Canadian Olympic team, or rekindle a war between vertical and horizontal shooters, or between target and hunting archers.
If you have any interest in keeping the range in operating condition and open to all archers shooting all types of equipment in a safe manner, please voice your concerns in the manner suggested in the opening post of this thread.
Last edited by Stash on Mon Oct 08, 2007 11:43 pm, edited 2 times in total.
Toronto Crossbow Alert
Boo is correct when he refers to the Olympic bow shooters, they were the persons who protested most strongly about the possible closing of the entire public archery range at Sunnybrook Park. The term "traditional" archers is one I picked up from my discussions with City staff were they attempt to make a distinction among types of archery equipment. When we start to make distinction among the types of archery equipment, long bows, recurve bows, compound bows and cross bows we all lose. It is an archery range and all types of archery equipment that have been allowed for more than a decade ought to be continued to be allowed. If you are a Toronto resident contact your local city councillor (names and #'s ar in the blue pages of the telephone book) to express your displeasure with this restriction on recreational use of long standing. Thanks.
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Grizzly Adam
- Posts: 5701
- Joined: Fri Aug 04, 2006 8:36 pm
- Location: Decatur County, Indiana
I like the range I use a lot. The boss is a great guy ... if I do say so myself! 
I am sorry for those who have a difficult time finding a place to shoot. I've got it so good, and I know it.
All archers (and hunters for that matter) need to get along! We're sure enough in this thing together ... sink or swim. I'm swimmin'!
I am sorry for those who have a difficult time finding a place to shoot. I've got it so good, and I know it.
All archers (and hunters for that matter) need to get along! We're sure enough in this thing together ... sink or swim. I'm swimmin'!
Grizz
Today is the Ontario provincial election and all the Toronto councillors are out campaigning for their provincial parties. I am arranging meetings with my councillor and the chair of the city's Parks and Environment Committee to try and get this crossbow ban turned around. I need at least 200 emails and letter writers.
Toronto Crossbow Alert
More help is needed to turn this Toronto Parks crossbow ban around. I have met with my local city councillor and have requested a meeting with the councillor who chairs the Parks and Environment Committee. The staff head of Toronto Parks has now been requested to prepare "briefing notes" on this topic. If you are a Toronto or GTA resident with a fax #, I can fax you a statement of facts that I have prepared. The vertical archers were able to prevent the closing of the range with 200 persons complaining. We need a similar number of crossbow users. It is time to step forward, folks. Thanks for reading and keeping this thread alive.
