July 28, 1997
LONDON ASKED TO TACKLE TOPLESS POLICY
COUN. BILL ARMSTRONG WILL BRING THE ISSUE UP FOR CONSIDERATION
AT A MEETING TONIGHT.
By Pat Currie
Free Press Reporter
A London councillor wants the city to keep its shirt on and take a calm and reasoned
look at the need for a policy covering the issue of bared breasts in public.
Coun. Bill Armstrong will ask council's community and protective services
(CAPS) committee to discuss the topic regarding London parks, pools and beaches
at its meeting tonight.
"It's an issue we have to look at. We can't sit back and ignore it,"
Armstrong said.
"I've had a number of complaints, concerns people have raised with me
in my ward. Some of these people feel very strongly about it," he said.
He's unlikely to get support from CAPS member Controller Diane Whiteside,
who said: "I think we should just leave this alone. Hands off."
OPPORTUNISM:
Whiteside said she considers Armstrong's move "political opportunism
. . . It's great for women to have the choice, but I don't think people should make
such a big deal out of it, not get their shirts in a knot."
While Armstrong admitted there have been "only a couple of isolated
incidents" in London, one involved a woman who made a bare-chested appearance
in Victoria Park during the recent official visit by Queen Elizabeth and the Duke
of Edinburgh. Armstrong is proposing the CAPS committee study policies adopted in
a number of Ontario communities, including Woodstock and Guelph, where the issue
originally came to a head and eventually resulted in a court ruling that a woman
baring her breasts in public was not committing an indecent act.
Woodstock's policy is that city staff "approach the patron and request
that since this is a public facility and many of the customers are vulnerable children,
we would request that they put their top back on so as not to upset other customers.
DON'T PUSH IT:
"If the individual does not want to cover up, do not press the issue
and thank them for their understanding of our position."
A policy adopted by the University of Guelph stipulates aquatic staff are
to be trained "on how to diplomatically handle the situation."
Bare-breasted women are to be approached by staff only if "asked by
another patron. Inform the woman that another patron feels offended and could she
please put on her bathing suit top or offer her a T-shirt.
"If the woman does not want to cover up then say thanks and walk away
. . . . Inform the patron that we did ask the woman to cover up and that we can
take no further action," the university policy states.
"Fill out an incident report and send it to the aquatic co-ordinator.
Train other facility staff who will potentially see this situation in other areas,"
the policy concludes.
IN MARKHAM:
Markham's policy is much the same, although staff there are advised: "If
a serious confrontation occurs, the supervisor should contact the police to gain
assistance in dealing with the situation."
Armstrong said he's providing this information to CAPS "for them to
look at and then make a recommendation" for a policy for the City of London.
"They can make a recommendation, send it to staff for further study,
or take no action. I hope it will be one of the first two," he said.