Coun. Giorgio Mammoliti is refusing to back down from a controversial comment painting Parkdale as the city’s “pedophile district.”
Mammoliti made the comment in a press release issued on Monday afternoon, in which he lashed out at city officials for allowing all-ages electronic dance music parties to be held at Exhibition Place given that the surrounding neighbourhood “is home to one of the highest concentrations of registered sex offenders in Toronto.”
“This is about children partying with adults and it is stupid,” Mammoliti told CP24 on Tuesday. “It is absolutely stupid and now that we know that 120 sex offenders live in that area it is even more stupider (sic).”
According to data released by the Ontario Ministry of Community Safety and Correctional Services, a total of 58 registered sex offenders in fact reside in the postal code associated with the Parkdale neighbourhood, however that number does balloon to 122 when the postal codes of two other surrounding neighbourhoods are included.
Speaking with CP24 on Tuesday, Mammoliti said that holding the all-ages events in an area with a high concentration of registered sex-offenders could put children at risk.
The data, however, includes all convicted sex offenders and does not provide any insight into the number of people convicted of sexually assaulting children that live in the neighbourhood.
“In my opinion you have a scenario where you have drugs, alcohol, adults and children and now even pedophiles living in and around Exhibition Place,” Mammoliti said. “Would you send your child to party with the adults knowing that there are 120 sex offenders living in that area? Most parents would agree with me that we should not have these venues in a community that has 120 sex offenders living in it. It’s ridiculous.”
Community outraged over comments
Following his comments on Monday, Mammoliti was widely criticized on social media and at city hall with occasional ally Coun. Doug Ford going so far as to tell reporters that he thought Mammoliti had “lost his mind.”
On Tuesday, the criticism continued to build as those who live and work in the neighbourhood digested the remarks.
“I am disappointed that someone in his position would choose to take the statistics and paint a picture about a community that is so unjust,” Anna Bartula, the executive director of the Parkdale Business Improvement Area, told CP24. “It is clear that our neighbourhood has struggled in the past but there are incredible businesses, residents and community centres. There are just so many wonderful things about this community and it really just takes a couple of negative comments to set us back.”
In April, the Exhibition Place board moved to ban electronic dance music parties at the venue, but Coun. Gord Perks helped convince council to reverse the ban one month later, saying the parties would be safer if held on city property because paramedics and police would be present.
Mammoliti’s comments on Monday came ahead of a public consultation on the parties.
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