One downtown business owner is calling on the Town of Newmarket to do more to address the numbers of youth who continue to gather outside his restaurants every day.
Despite some efforts by the town in recent weeks, the owner of Ground Burger Bar and EVENTMRKT at Riverwalk Commons said most nights between 4 and 10 p.m. large groups of young people hang out right in front of his doors, often blocking the entrance.
Grant Buckley said with the reopening of patios and more people and adults in the downtown area, the situation has improved slightly, however he is still seeing gatherings, vandalism and skateboarding.
Buckley is again asking the town to do more.
“It’s directly in front of my businesses. I don’t think anyone else has a problem with them being down here because it’s not their business,” he said. “It might sound like I’m the only one kicking up some dust because it’s directly affecting me.”
Mayor John Taylor said he hasn't heard from any other business owners in the area, but added that he has been engaging with Buckley and understands his concern.
"Having a large number of young people in front of your doors on a regular basis is probably not something they want," he said.
This is not the first time Buckley has gone to the town over the issue, after which it committed to increasing bylaw and York Regional Police presence in the area.
"The town’s working (on it), but I need it like yesterday,” he said. “This is a problem I brought to their attention a year ago.”
The increase in enforcement is in response to concerns from Buckley, as well as other residents and businesses on social media, and in the interest of compliance, Ward 5 councillor Bob Kwapis said.
"The focus though is on making sure there's social distancing and compliance and so on. It's basically education focused," he said. "I'm very happy for people to be outdoors, I just want to make sure people are still compliant."
Buckley has noticed the increased patrols, but he said it’s not going far enough and it’s time for a change.
“The authorities-that-be leave and then they just come clustering back,” he said about the teens.
To date, no fines have been issued and Taylor said he still believes an education-based approach is an appropriate response.
"I know some people don’t like this response, but I believe it’s the right response and it’s a balanced response," he said. "I don’t believe during COVID with very limited options for things to do that we should be laying fines for youth for skateboarding."
Young people skateboarding in the area is one of the biggest issues Buckley said he has noticed.
Under town bylaws, skateboarding is not permitted in parks like Riverwalk Commons, however, there has been an increase of the activity during the pandemic, when skate parks have been closed during lockdown.
The mayor said he has nothing against skateboarding, but doesn't think the park is the right place for it.
"That’s not the use we want in that area. There’s a lot of people on foot and that’s not what it’s meant for," Taylor said.
This prompted Newmarket to put up signs reminding citizens of the rules in summer 2020 but Buckley said it’s not working.
“We need rumble strips, we need to break this concrete up here,” he said, adding that it may be time to start issuing fines to rule breakers.
Recently, flower planters were added to the area in an attempt to hamper skateboarders, and increase safety for pedestrians in the area.
"We are looking at other measures at the same time, but needless to say we just can't wait until the skateboarding park is open at Magna and I think that alone is going to help considerably," Kwapis said. "But there is skateboarding, and that's part of the gathering, and part of being a teenager."
Construction is underway at the skate park and it is expected to open by summer 2022. In the meantime, a temporary site has been set up at the Youth Centre. The new space will also be patrolled by bylaw officers.
Buckley said he has observed young people just pushing the planters out of the way and he thinks a different solution is needed to curb activity in the area.
The mayor said if the issue persists after pandemic restrictions are eased, they will look at if further action is needed.
"I’m hopeful that with more options, the young people will be busy doing other things," Taylor said.
He added that he also went to Riverwalk Commons to see the situation for himself.
"I went down myself and spoke with the students for a considerable period of time and asked them to be thoughtful of the store owners and respectful of the park users and they were all very polite and reasonable,” Taylor said.
While there have been residents reporting drug use in the area, the mayor said he hasn't heard overwhelming complaints about it or anything from town staff about having to clean up drug paraphernalia in the area.
However, Taylor said he doesn't want to negate Buckley's concerns and they're trying to find a balance.
"They’re residents too and they have the right to use our parks and spaces," he said of the teens.
