Call it peaceful protest.
In defiance of a new municipal bylaw that closed two popular tobogganing spots in Jasper, children used cardboard boxes and crazy carpets to slide down Snape’s Hill.
Throngs of children bouncing down an embankment may not appear like an act of civil disobedience, but that’s exactly how it was characterized — at least by the parents who organized it.
Dozens of people gathered for the event last Friday. Children slid past signs warning that tobogganing was prohibited. Parents shared bubble-wrapped cupcakes and circulated a petition calling for a reversal of the recent rule change.
Bubble-wrapped cupcakes were served at the grassroots protest. (Wendy Hall/Facebook)
Closure signs appeared last week on Snape’s Hill and another popular tobogganing spot called Church Hill.
‘Icy response’
The decision to close both hills prompted an icy response from parents in the area, including Christina Byrd.
Her five-year-old stepson burst into tears when he first heard the news, she said.
“He was whimpering and crying,” Byrd said in an interview with CBC Edmonton’s Radio Active. “It is something we do as a family regularly, so when we told him that we could no longer go there, he was really upset.
“It’s like a bad kid’s book, where they come to take the fun out of town.”
Administrators voted to close the hills permanently after an independent risk review strongly recommended the municipality take immediate action to address outstanding safety concerns.
‘There is the occasional bump and bruise’
“A risk assessor was brought into town to look around and see where any dangers areas might be in our area,” said Byrd. “And they deemed our two favourite sledding hills unfortunately to be the biggest risk.”
Both hills are adjacent to busy residential roads, prompting concerns that children could slide too far, and careen into the street. Rugged wooden signs and fire hydrants located on both hills were also considered liabilities.
While Byrd said she empathizes with the municipality, she’s frustrated by the lack of consultation and thinks the safety issues could be addressed with safety barriers and signs.
Kids in Jasper playing on Snape’s Hill. (Corey Gurba/Facebook)
She’s launched a petition, demanding that the administration reconsider its decision. She hopes to gather 300 signatures before the next public hearing.
“I’ve never seen a kid get close to being injured on those hills,” she said. “There is the occasional bump and bruise but the kids know better. They can think for themselves.”
In a note to municipal staff that has been making the rounds online, Mark Fercho, the town’s chief administrative officer, said the decision to close both hills was necessary. The town does not want to be responsible for any accidents or injuries.
Fercho said he knew that no matter how clear the safety concerns, some parents would be angry.
“Anyone that has had to work with death or serious injury will understand we are very happy to have this discussion with people angry and passionate about the closure due to a risk consultant’s report,” he said.
“This is far better than having the very same closure discussion in response to a child injured or killed [at] the bottom of the sliding hill.”