in case you missed it... i doubt this would come as a surprise to most... but i have seen this rule enforced (in terms of not photographing other people's kids) so i thought i would pass it along...
I noticed the article too but it also read "is not a bylaw and therefore not enforceable". I never had a city staff member tell me not to take pictures.
@davidtom yeah... i think it really is meant to be a courtesy thing - but it gets weird... last winter i was at Centennial with my boys for their snowboard lessons... hanging out at the bottom of the hill was a guy with a big camera and bigger lens with monopod... city staff were giving him all kinds of grief - even though he explained he was just taking pictures of his kids... they stood right beside him and looked at every shot he took...
i tend to find the whole thing rather fascinating... on the streets, i'm pretty sure it's fairly well established that there can be no expectation of privacy and so street photography is pretty much fine... i've certainly never been hassled... but they draw a distinction between parks and streets, public squares etc... i'd be curious to know what rules apply at the rink at nathan phillips square... no one has ever said anything to me whilst shooting there... similarly at yonge and dundas square... can't say how many times there's been a band there, kids start dancing and absolutely everyone brings out their cell phones to start shooting videos... again - never a seen anyone take issue with this...
It is a silly policy that the city has. I can't even understand the whole respect people's privacy argument as it is seems to apply to only certain public spaces but not others. If it was design to protect the privacy of children, then why don't school boards have that policy and prevent parents from taking pictures at public school performances where there is a whole stage full of kids.
The policy is likely the result of a knee jerk reaction of a bureaucrat after receiving complaints from a few parents that some person that looks creepy taking pictures near them.
I'm waiting to see how they deal with Google glass and other wearable technology that have built-in cameras.
@northy
One of the guys at the camera club said that this has been a policy in cemeteries for years. You're not supposed to take photos of the names on the stones...privacy issues and such.
Now it will feel more dangerous when I go wandering in there!
@shutterbugger srsly? privacy? in the cemetery???? i mean - all that info is THERE... and display... for all to see... and much of it (and more) shows up in obituaries somewhere - often online... this definitely falls into the "give me strength" category...
so, if i am a tourist and i happen to be at a public park, i cannot take photos without permission of the city staff? where do i find them. if there is a janitor that's city staff, he can give me permission? what if he didn't like my face and he wouldn't give permission? do i go back to my country and tell them "do not to go to toronto because they no want take photos?"
i am wondering what the various camera clubs around toronto are doing aside from protesting on their websites and blogs. i think they should put forth a query and a proposal of some sort to the city in order to clarify this nonsense.
@summerfield well, as David said above, it's not really law - just a policy,,, so they probably can't really enforce it... and it does sound as though the city is sort of listening... frankly, i think it would be creepy for a random person to come to a park to take shots of children not their own... but other than that - i'd say get over it... if anyone wants to fight the policy, i'd say go for it, but i haven't the energy and if i did, i'd probably find better battles to pick with city hall ;p
in re my first paragraph, that situation could also lead to shady activities. i can pose as a staff (after i pose as a tourist, of course :-P) and tell you to get permission. now, i can also tell you i will turn the other way and ignore you for a small amount, because you know, us city staff do not earn enough, unlike you people in the private sector who can afford fancy cameras and tripods. (fyi, i don't work for the city.)
@northy - yes, that's true. but there would be the occasional over zealous staff who wouldn't know the difference between policy and law and just insist on enforcing their new-found 'authority'.
i think i should write to my councilor, whoever the bugger is, and give the bastard a piece of my mind. :-)
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i tend to find the whole thing rather fascinating... on the streets, i'm pretty sure it's fairly well established that there can be no expectation of privacy and so street photography is pretty much fine... i've certainly never been hassled... but they draw a distinction between parks and streets, public squares etc... i'd be curious to know what rules apply at the rink at nathan phillips square... no one has ever said anything to me whilst shooting there... similarly at yonge and dundas square... can't say how many times there's been a band there, kids start dancing and absolutely everyone brings out their cell phones to start shooting videos... again - never a seen anyone take issue with this...
It is a silly policy that the city has. I can't even understand the whole respect people's privacy argument as it is seems to apply to only certain public spaces but not others. If it was design to protect the privacy of children, then why don't school boards have that policy and prevent parents from taking pictures at public school performances where there is a whole stage full of kids.
The policy is likely the result of a knee jerk reaction of a bureaucrat after receiving complaints from a few parents that some person that looks creepy taking pictures near them.
I'm waiting to see how they deal with Google glass and other wearable technology that have built-in cameras.
One of the guys at the camera club said that this has been a policy in cemeteries for years. You're not supposed to take photos of the names on the stones...privacy issues and such.
Now it will feel more dangerous when I go wandering in there!
i am wondering what the various camera clubs around toronto are doing aside from protesting on their websites and blogs. i think they should put forth a query and a proposal of some sort to the city in order to clarify this nonsense.
i think i should write to my councilor, whoever the bugger is, and give the bastard a piece of my mind. :-)