“I’m practically begging my brother every night to bike with me or even go for a walk. So many families are bonding over this and even older generations … It’s a great way to make new friends and learn about community landmarks.”

Strangely, rare Pokémon have been lingering in her own front yard and she teases her father, MP Majid Jowhari, that it may be because they know he lives there.

“They’re technically virtual constituents,” she laughs.

Not everyone’s laughing, though.

Mary Lynn Mulroney has seen many around her neighbourhood at Major Mackenzie and Bathurst — her 29-year-old son even caught one on their chimney — but some neighbours weren’t so thrilled.

“One is in the midst of moving. The other is quiet and doesn’t need a crowd on his front lawn.”

And when it’s not your yard but a fire station or hospital, there are even bigger concerns.

Vaughan Fire and Rescue formally requested to have Pokémon GO gyms removed from two of its stations.

The organization submitted the applications to the game's developer Tuesday, Deputy Chief Deryn Rizzi said.

Droves of people have been showing up at these locations to battle at the Pokémon gyms, claim them for their teams and receive free items every five minutes, but it has brought forth safety concerns from the fire department.

“We encourage the public, including Pokémon trainers, to come and visit us, but we have to put safety first,” Rizzi said.

With fire trucks needing to exit quickly, players who are not aware of their surroundings could be injured or worse.

The Hospital for Sick Children in Toronto asked players not to drop lures there out of safety concerns.

Mackenzie Health in York Region has not noticed an increase in activity associated with Pokémon GO in buildings or on hospital grounds, according to spokesperson Stefanie Kreibe, but she reminds players to be aware of surroundings and avoid scaling fences and structures to gain access to Pokémon locations.

The Sharon Temple National Historic Site in East Gwillimbury is putting signs around the perimeter of the site and advised, on a York Region Pokémon webpage, against jumping fences or scaling gates during non-business hours, adding that the PokéStop is accessible from the sidewalk and parking lot.

It is rare for a Pokémon to spawn in someone’s back yard, but OPP is warning trainers that playing the game isn’t an excuse to trespass.

People were reported gathering across the region this week — Newmarket’s Main Street, public libraries, town halls, downtown Unionville, Vaughan Mills Mall, Milliken Mills Park and the McMichael Canadian Art Collection in Kleinburg all saw Pokémon action.

Benjamin Smith has been chasing the game across Richmond Hill and discovered Dorothy Price Park has three PokéStops and there are several on each block in the village core.

“Right now the tracker is kinda buggy, but I have caught some interesting Pokémon around Benson and Hall,” he says. “I was never the biggest Pokémon fan growing up, but I really like this concept of game. It gives people a reason to go outside and interact with others. We too often have created social barriers to accomplish that comfortably.”

Others are trying to use the Pokémon craze for public good. Monica Hadden, public educator for Richmond Hill Fire and Emergency Services, capitalized on the trend Wednesday with a Smokémon event to raise awareness for fire safety, giving away smoke alarms to the first 20 trainers to arrive at a PokéStop in Richmond Hill.

Jowhari likes the idea.

“It would be great if they applied the ideology behind the success of this app to important things. such as healthcare, volunteer opportunities or community events,” she says.

Georgina Pioneer Village is capitalizing on the opportunity by setting lures to attract people to the site.

Jowhari thinks Richmond Hill should take note.

“Pokémon GO features Richmond Hill landmarks and historic sights. In other words, it incentivizes going to those locations. The Richmond Hill Historical Society should take advantage of this.

“If more community members learned the history behind these sites, they would be more inclined to support the preservation of our town’s heritage, especially at a time when all these new buildings are being constructed and overshadowing our town’s history.”

- with files by Teresa Latchford