Milliken Park kite flyers are looking forward to finding a compromise with city officials after a controversial ban.

Dozens of members of the South Asian community gathered at the Scarborough park Aug. 21 to protest last week’s bylaw that prohibits kite flying there. The city councillor who spearheaded the ban met with the demonstrators and told them he’s “open to ideas” about how to deal with the safety issue of discarded kite lines.

“We need to find a solution that's workable, enforceable and safe for everyone,” said Chin Lee (Ward 41, Scarborough-Rouge River).

The park at Steeles Ave. and McCowan Rd. spans nearly 80 acres in a neighbourhood with many immigrants. In recent years, scores of people of Pakistani and Afghan descent have gathered on weekends at the park to battle kites.

“This is a way we can teach our culture,” said Mazhar Hussain. “There has to be a place where we can go, take our families, fly kites and have a barbecue.”

A common sport in Afghanistan and Pakistan, kite fighting is a duel in which contestants use friction to cut their opponent’s line. Sometimes they use special string made of nylon or metal, or coated with shards of crushed glass.

Lee says his office has received more than 100 complaints about kite debris and safety concerns. Animals have been injured, maintenance equipment has been damaged and someone's ear was cut, he says. The Toronto Star reported that a three-year-old was dragged for metres by his ankle after a passing car caught a discarded kite line.

Gogi Malik, founder of Gogi Kite Club, claims his club members use only safe cotton lines and clean up after themselves.

Lee came to the park armed with two large balls of string collected there and showed them to the protesters. He emphasized that the issue with kites is the string, not flying, and said he will work with the city's parks, forestry and recreation department and with Malik and other community activists to find a solution. He said he expects a meeting to be scheduled this week.

Although some people had threatened they would fly kites at the gathering in defiance of the new bylaw, the group of about 70 demonstrators respected the ban and focused on discussing the issue. Kites were displayed, but not flown, and children held hand-lettered signs.

“The protest went very well,” said Malik. “I'm looking forward to working together to find a solution soon.”

Lee says he spent two years trying to find a solution, but admits he never consulted the kite enthusiasts.

Milliken is the second Toronto park where kites have been prohibited. Kites were banned about seven years ago at Bluffer's Park, on the waterfront at the foot of Brimley Rd., after discarded lines floated into the lake and clogged boat engines.

The new ban took effect Aug. 17, although enforcement officers are allowing a two-week grace period before levying a $100 fine on anyone caught flying a kite in Milliken Park or its parking lot. The ban was not discussed in council; councillors have the authority to implement small-scale bans for safety issues.

Protest participants said kite flying is one of the few amusements they enjoy during Ramadan, and hoped they would be able to fly kites during Eid festivities, which could begin Sept. 9.

“Kites are important to me because [flying them] is calming; it reduces stress,” said Wakil Faqiri, a stroke survivor who travels to the Scarborough park every weekend from Oakville.