Follow Up Email sent to City

Here is the full text of the follow up email sent to the City today, Feb 13

Dear Mr. Parthi Kandavel,

I am following up on my email sent on February 6 regarding the demolition of the Birchmount Park Tennis Courts. As it has now been five business days with no acknowledgement or response, I want to ensure the concerns raised have been received.

Since my original message, several key issues remain unresolved and require clarification:

Key Concerns:

1. No onsite notice was posted at the Birchmount Park tennis courts to alert regular users that removal was being considered
2. The decision relied on one online survey (Sept 1–15, 2025) with 704 respondents, according to the City’s own project page
3. The respondent pool was heavily skewed toward pickleball players, meaning tennis users — the group most affected — were under‑represented
4. Respondent data also shows many participants do not live near Birchmount Park, raising questions about local representation.
5. Pickleball facilities already exist at the Birchmount Community Centre within the same park, making it unclear why the only public tennis courts in the area were removed.
6. We have since learned the survey was conducted by ERG National Research, and residents who saw the survey report that it included a question about political party affiliation, which has no relevance to park‑planning decisions.
7. A public alert issued by the Canadian Research Insights Council (CRIC) notes that ERG National Research is not a CRIC member and that its surveys do not comply with CRIC standards, raising concerns about survey validity.

Given these issues, we again respectfully request that the City:

1. Stop construction of the pickleball courts,
2. Rebuild the Birchmount Park Tennis Courts, and
3. Provide clarity on the consultation process used to justify this decision.

We ask for a response no later than Friday February 20, so that we can update the community and determine our next steps.

Please confirm receipt of this follow‑up.
We look forward to your reply.