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For a year, everyone was happy. But then in July, along came city hall: a friendly bylaw officer informed Bourret the net was non-compliant. Local councillor Mary-Margaret McMahon, who tabled the motion, suspects an unidentified “curmudgeonly neighbour” blew the whistle: not only is the base of the net on public property, but the net itself overhangs the sidewalk, flouting the very notion of law and order.

So the net came out. But the boys did not concede defeat, however.

“You want to learn to advocate for yourselves?” Bourret says he asked them. “I said if you want to you can try and get a petition going in the neighbourhood, and see how people feel about it. If they support you, good. And if they don’t, well, you’re no worse for that.”

The neighbourhood did indeed support them. Armed with 59 signatures, they headed down to McMahon’s office, where Bourret says they were advised to … test the inspector’s resolve, shall we say. The net went back in on Aug. 17. Wholesome fun returned. But then so did the friendly inspector.

Thanks to the petition and some well-connected neighbours, the Bourrets had McMahon’s attention. City staff proposed an “encroachment agreement” under which the Bourrets would assume liability for their “encroachment” upon public property — normally a simple extension of a homeowner’s insurance coverage, according to Kyp Perikleous, director of transportation services for Toronto and East York. That’s what city council approved.