A local councillor is working to shutdown illegal rentals of jet skis near Woodbine Beach and create an watercraft exclusion zone at Ashbridges Bay after numerous complaints from area residents. You can currently rent a jet ski from the water’s edge at the beach but there is no business license associated with the rentals, no insurance and no permission from authorities. “The sailing school with kids has been complaining about the safety issues with the Seadoos going by them, people who perhaps don’t know how to do it. And it just is clogging up the use of the boat ramp,” said Ken Hare, a Beaches resident. “We used to see a lot of salmon fishermen. Now we don’t because there’s jet ski trailers that are unhooked.”Beaches and East York Councillor Brad Bradford wants the City of Toronto to shut down the rentals.“There have been a number of overnight sting operations where these jet skis have actually been impounded. But these are illegal operators,” said Bradford. “They know what they’re doing is breaking the law, and their vehicles can be impounded, but they go and pay the fine and they look atit as the cost of doing business.”But one operator, who doesn’t have a license to rent at the beach, tells CityNews the city should regulate it instead of shutting it down entirely.“It’s a fun thing, you can do this anywhere in the world. Why do we want to shut it down in Toronto?” said Ahmad Zarai, Founder and CEO of Bayside Watersport IncIn a recent enforcement blitz, Toronto police handed out over $12,000 in fines and more than 20 bylaw charges totalling over $5,000 in fines.But enforcement isn’t enough, said Bradford, who wants a motorized watercraft exclusion zone at Woodbine Beach, ranging at least 100 metres off the shoreline.“My motion in front of council is to present an exclusion zone where we can separate those users and there won’t be a risk of injury.”An exclusion zone for a Toronto beach is not unprecedented. This summer, there is a pilot project at Hanlan’s Point on the Toronto Islands in whcih watercraft cant come within 200 metres of the shore. However, at both Hanlan’s Point and Woodbine Beach, it’s not entirely up to the City of Toronto. The Federal Agency Ports Toronto has authority.