The Youth in Markham have been continuously kicked off frozen ponds by by-law enforcement and privately hired security firms. Ask any Canadian Hockey player recall their greatest childhood memories of the game, and they will tell you playing on frozen ponds.

A significant amount of tax payer dollars are being spent to create a repressive society, forcing youth to abandon a long standing Canadian activity. We all know this leads to negative behaviour and often poor mental health.

At the same time, as parents, we understand the dangers of being on frozen bodies of water. We most certainly do not want to put our children in a dangerous situation.

We are asking the town/city of Markham to change their enforcement policies for youth playing  on the ponds. Allow parents or guardians to accept the risk on behalf of the youth on the pond via a waiver. Those same by-law enforcement officers could just as easily collect Identification and signature(s) of adults taking responsibility for the youth on the pond.

In the event youth are on a pond without parental guidance, by all means, kick them off.

We live in a time where poor Mental Health and Addiction are on the rise, lets do everything we can to keep our youth active leading to improved mental health and reduced addictions. Enforce safety through parental guidance, not through repressive actions.