Opponents seek to end a bungee-jumping venue, citing environmental and safety concerns.
An opposition group is trying to stop a proposed bungee-jumping venue in a northern Ontario community, saying the sport is inherently dangerous and not environmentally sound.
The group says a proposed entertainment park known as The Falls was made to attract thrill-seekers and is not designed to provide a safe environment for young people.
Bungee jumping has been declining around the globe. It became so popular in the U.S. that it was banned in New Zealand and Australia in the 1970s.
Bungee jumping in Canada has since seen a gradual decline that peaked in 2016. The number of jumps has been declining, as well.
People with bungee jumping tickets have grown to represent just a fraction of the total number of tickets sold in the past decade — about 4,000 nationwide. Only about 400 bungee jumpers are considered serious enough to be trained to jump with professional jumpers and in regulated places, says the jump operator at the Toronto location.
Toronto lawyer Mark Loewen says the operator of The Falls was granted a licence to build it without a bylaw and required to comply with a series of other conditions that are not required in regulated locations.
“It’s certainly not a sustainable or sustainable environment,” Mr. Loewen told a media conference, adding that the operator has made no effort to address “the issue of bungee jumping’s impact on human health and safety.”
The operator of Montreal’s Mont-Tremblant Jump says it has been operating there in compliance with the law for a number of years without incident.
It is not known how many people have been injured in bungee jumping in Toronto since 1996 but Toronto police say they have recorded about nine reports of injuries, with two requiring hospitalization.
Mr. Loewen said that in the first three weekends of next week he and other lawyers will be launching an action on behalf of a man named David M., who is trying to
