BEACONSFIELD — A resident of a West Island town is furious after receiving a ticket for almost $150 for having a basketball hoop at the foot of his driveway.
“Look, I don’t want to give the people of Beaconsfield a black eye, it’s a great place to live, a great place to raise a family,” said Robert Connors.
“I just think it’s discouraging they’d be discouraging basketball playing in front of your house.”
Connors keeps the hoop right at the edge of the street he lives on. He said the rationale for the fine isn’t clear as the hoop doesn’t seem to interfere with trash collection. He also noted that he’s had the hoop there the 10 years he’s lived in the neighbourhood without being fined.
The recent fine, he said, is the result of a confusing set of rules.
“It’s an ambiguous law.”
A huge part of that ambiguity involves property responsibilities that seem to be in conflict.
The city of Beaconsfield owns the property a few metres off the street, and in some areas has built sidewalks there. However, the maintenance of that property usually falls on the resident.
Connors said he plans on taking the city to court to contest the fine, and some of his neighbours say they’re behind him.
“I mean this is a local area, there’s not that much traffic. You can play hockey in the street, basketball,” said Benoit Lamothe, a neighbour.
“I mean you’ve got to let the children play, too.”
The city of Beaconsfield, for its part, is being tight-lipped about the matter, as it will likely end up in court. City officials told Global News that Connors did receive more than one warning about the hoop before he received the fine.
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