-----Original Message-----
From: Ali Khan [mailto:alilatifyasir@hotmail.com]
Sent: July 11, 2007 10:56 PM
To: Chiu, Alex; Kanapathi, Logan; Horchik, Dan; Webster, John; Moretti, Carolina; Virgilio, Joseph; Shapero, Erin; Burke, Valerie; Landon, Gord; Wong, Tony; Heath, Jack; Jones, Jim; Scarpitti, Frank; mayor_miller@toronto.ca; chowo@parl.gc.ca; lt.gov@ontario.ca; pm@pm.gc.ca; councillor_lee@toronto.ca; pyeung@toronto.ca; aabdool@toronto.ca
Subject: Kite-flying issue in Scarborough and Markham

How are you?

First about me: I am a concerned citizen from the Markham area. I have been living in this beautiful city for the last 5 years. In the past, I have had lived in the great city of Toronto. To me both cities are the best cities on this planet. I am a recent graduate from the York University. I am on my way, in August, to become a teacher.

In any case, I would like to bring your attention to an irksome issue of kite-flying in the Markham and the Toronto area. I live at the border of Scarborough-North and Markham-South (McCowan Road + Steels Avenue). I love living and traveling back and forth to nice municipalities of two cities. Anyway, there happens to be a gorgeous park (Milken Park) located at the McCowan Road and the Steels Ave. Unfortunately, for the past few years- this particular park has been getting dirtier and messier every year. On any given weekend, so many folks come by to fly their kites. Once they leave- after a whole day of activity, they leave behind mangled kites, so many un-disposable strings, etc. It is quite shocking to see that so many youngsters run after kites. Usually, there happen to be so many "Kite-Battles," in which many or all kites lose their strings and once such events take place so many youngsters jay walk after such kites. On any day, one can walk in the park and one can easily get entangled or enmeshed through strings ("Door"...an Urdu/Hindi/Persian term used for strings by the community that I have been observing for the last two years).

Over the months and over the time of two years, I have seen many birds dyeing due to such strings. For instance, I have seen and witnessed pigeons, blue-jays, and sparrows getting entangled in such firm and very dangerous strings. In Canada, we have a charter of freedoms and rights, but do we have anything for birds and local animals? Over the weeks, I have been seeing so many trees and electric pylons getting messier through the entanglement of such nasty strings. In Canada, we have rights and liberties, but do poor trees have any voice? It makes me mad when I see so many strings in Markham area on trees, on electric pylons, and on many so many houses' roofs. Do Markham and Toronto municipalities have enough budget and money to clean such mess? I wonder where are the officials and why nobody is taking any action. I believe I need to be rich to raise my voice because only and only money talks in any Capitalistic society! I am sure that if I had run a business then all the municipalities would listen to my voice!!!

I am not against in having fun. I do respect other peoples' rights and freedoms. However, what about trees. What about local wildlife. What about cleanliness. If one were to walk on the McCowan Road, the Middlefield Road, the Steels Ave., and then later on the Denison Road he/she would see so many strings and just strings. If that does not help, one can also travel East on Steels Ave. towards that farming area and then there he/she can see so many kites. Where is our tax money going. I really do not know that who tell and who to talk to. In the past, I did tell police officers but I was told that it is a free society. Then I told some city officials and everything was fell on deaf ears. Moreover, I was told that there are signs in the park about kite flying. Lo and behold, I do not see any signs in that particular park. All I see so many people bringing their vans loaded with kits...However, the question is that where do you draw a line and how do you educate people about keeping the ENVIRONMENT HEALTHY for everyone and other animal beings. It is a shame that we have very lax and lenient laws when it comes to cleanliness and keeping our environment healthy. Please, please, please do something about such mess in these beautiful places.

p.s. If nobody trusts me then come join any weekend, especially any long weekend. Or, any given day and walk through park and then experience your shoes and feet getting entangled through so many strings.

Ali,