Vaughan Citizens Concerned About Synagogues

A public hearing on a proposed amendment to the City of Vaughan’s by-law on places of worship held on June 1^st attracted over 120 residents representing multiple religions, as well as a handful of homeowners upset over what they see as a lack of enforcement of parking and noise issues.

“This is a planning issue, it’s a zoning issue,” said Ward 5 Councillor Alan Shefman who was present at the meeting and supports the need for the amendment. “We as a matter of course present these proposals in a public hearing to hear from the public their thoughts on the matter.”

Many in attendance were concerned about the proposal’s focus on religious gatherings, including shuffling places of worship, such as the multiple small Orthodox shuls that dot Thorhnill’s residential streets, to main arterial roads in the city, for instance Bathurst Street.

Several of the approximately 100 mostly religious Jews who showed up at the meeting pointed out to Shalom Life that the proposal, drawn up by city planning staff, seemed to unfairly fixate on religious worship, rather than genuine unease about what most agreed were safety and quality of life issues, for people living near residential places of worship.

The main problems: excesses of parked cars that can block roads and problematic noise levels.

“As one of the lawyers pointed out last night, this definition (of religious gatherings) is so broad that it would include banning circumcisions, bar/bat mitzvahs, Torah lectures, and any other religious gathering,” a Thornhill resident who was at the hearing told Shalom Life. “We must make sure that the City understands the dangers involved about even talking about such bans. Our basic freedom of religion is at stake.”

City councillors say that longstanding complaints from area residents living next to residential places of worship, including “basement synagogues”, have led them to conclude current zoning laws need to be updated.

Shefman said that the current zoning law covering places of worship – by-law 1-88 – needs to be amended as it is out of date.

“What we do as part of our new official plan process is to review and to try to reflect the needs of the community as they exist today,” he said. “It’s an update to try to find a way to help guide people who are of good faith to help them understand a better planning process.”

According to Shefman, the real issue is that zoning needs to be appropriately applied in order to protect neighbourhoods from “institutional infringement.”

The city does not see the issue as being about an individual or a small group of people who have been meeting for many years in their homes for religious needs.

Rather, Shefman pointed out that “it’s the massive infringement in our communities that have taken place in a number of places in the City and in the Ward that we’re interested in.”

“A number of residents appeared last night to talk about what’s happened to them, including issues of health and safety and their enjoyment and access to their homes,” Shefman explained.

At the hearing, a man stated that a fire truck was not able to get to his house in an emergency situation due to numerous parked cars.

“That’s absolutely unacceptable and it’s not to do with religion,” said Shefman. “It’s only to do with infringements of our by-laws. Anybody who makes the argument that it’s an issue of religious freedom doesn’t understand at all. It’s an infringement on the safety of our communities and our residents.”

However, Rabbi Aryeh Gotfryd of home-based Thornhill Congregation Beis Malkeinu told Shalom Life that he feels the proposed by-law, as it stands, violates the Charter of Rights and Freedoms.

“This proposed by-law is illegal. It offends the right of the religion of everyone,” he said. “Everybody unanimously agreed that we have the right to pray or even have services in our homes, as long as it does not disrupt the safety of our neighbourhood. So the question is how to deal with it.”

If there is an issue with parking, Gotfryd said, you need planning that specifically deals with parking, not with prayer. To outlaw worship in homes is not far from outlawing Super Bowl parties, which can easily attract more people than religious services.

He added, “I believe there are enough by-laws and solutions for parking. Because this issue is not unique to any home use that involves a lot of people, it goes right across the board to all kinds of activities we do privately, culturally or businesswise.”

Others in attendance expressed similar views, wondering why the city does not simply enforce existing parking and noise by-laws, instead of overly focusing on religion.

Shefman said that ultimately, city staff will address the issue of religious worship in the revised proposal that will take into account recommendations and comments from the public. The new version is expected in the next few weeks.

“I would urge the City to find an appropriate way to address the issue of an individual’s right or need for prayer in their home or religious devotion in their home,” Shefman said.

Rabbi Avrohom Bitterman of home-based Ateres Mordechai Synagogue in Thornhill, also in attendance, described the hearing as positive, saying there was a feeling of unity among those present from different religious communities.

“It seemed that people were very passionate about religion and places of worship, where to pray and how to pray, and the meeting connected together all types of denominations,” he said. “Not everyone was on the same page of course, but that’s the way life goes.”

With files from Bev Spritzer.