Welcome to Toronto....this is why I think my older stock video is gonna sell in the long run, stuff I could get away with just five years ago would get me arrested today for filming in public spaces, I got a good taste of this particular law while filming the cherry blossoms this year in High Park, was not charged but almost.  Good thing I over shot the honk out of the event, can't even film a squirrel in public park anymore.   I suspect a lot of my on-campus stuff will soon be of more value, won't be long before that will be a no-no even if filming from a public sidewalk.   

Oddly enough I filmed the heck out of the downtown financial district unchallenged by police not too long ago but that was on the day of the stock market correction and other media were doing same.

The city argues "privacy", I'm quite sure most politicians are not aware of the existence of social media, a platform where the public lives their lives as an open book and posts way too much information and photos to be honest.....privacy? in a public place?     Oh...and try and film the beach on a hot summer day.....that used to be a standard weather shot on a hot summer day, well....the beach is also a park and today it would a problem to even try it.

When I did the crime beat and worked in hard news we would use all sorts of tactics and long lenses and to anything to not get spotted by the police,  my training in that was worth it because I use the same tactics to film......the weather today.

The rink in this Star story is a beautiful one and I actually got away with filming there once, one Christmas day, the only day of the year there was no security but last year it was fully staffed with security.  At Toronto City hall I have had better luck on a crowded evening, less chance of being noticed.

http://www.thestar.com/news/city-hall-blog/2015/12/city-of-toronto-says-you-need-permission-to-photograph-your-own-kids-in-a-park-or-outdoor-rink.html

There's a difference between showing up as "random person 45" in the background of a picture or video of a family member and being the subject of a stalker.  The law in that article goes waaaaay overboard, IMO.