Ontario judge rules City of Hamilton can enforce park bylaw

An Ontario judge has sided with the City of Hamilton in a Charter-based legal challenge that could have cost taxpayers nearly half a million dollars.

Earlier this year, 14 people, with support from a local legal clinic, attempted to sue the city over a bylaw that prohibits people from staying overnight in parks.

The judge presiding over the case cut through a myriad of legal arguments, and in very plain language, says the city has the right to enforce its own rules and has done so without infringing on anyone’s rights.