Coronavirus: Man fined $750 for playing basketball in Kitchener park

A man playing basketball in a Kitchener park amid the coronavirus pandemic was fined $750 over the weekend.

A spokesperson for the city said a group of people were playing basketball in McLennan Park on Saturday when a bylaw officer asked them to stop.

Most did but one refused after several attempts were made to ask him to stop and was issued a fine.

“I’m angry,” Kitchener Mayor Berry Vrbanovic said on Twitter. “When a sports field or basketball court is closed by @ONgov emergency order due to #covid19wr, it means its closed.

“People, your bad choices cost people their lives.

The Ontario government issued an order banning gatherings of five or more people on March 28 with a few exceptions.

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The City of Kitchener has also banned the use of all recreational facilities, a measure that includes sports fields and basketball courts.