Damian Agostini is a Toronto artist who creates large sculptures from driftwood he finds along the waterfront near the Humber River.

“Normally when I collect wood, I see what I intend to make, and that’s usually the inspiration,” he tells CityNews.

Agostini has been building his artwork for the past four years and many area residents appreciate discovering his creations as they walk along the shoreline.

However, the City of Toronto is not so enthusiastic. In most cases, Agostini’s creations get dismantled and removed by workers.

“Lately, it’s been every piece that I put up, the city would either come in the middle of the night or early in the morning and take them down,” he says.

Officials tell CityNews that while the city appreciates public art and values creativity, they also have a responsibility to ensure parks remain safe for everyone who use them. They went on to say that, “in this case, these installations often include exposed nails, screws and other sharp materials that could pose a risk to park users. They are also being built in parks using power tools and axes, which are not permitted under city bylaws.”

“We’re very lucky to have him in our neighbourhood and we hope we can keep him here and I really hope that there could be a way that we can maybe compromise in order to keep his artwork here,” said area resident Kimmy Goyal. “I understand the stipulations with permits and such but anything we can do to support him to have him continue to be here.”

The City of Toronto did confirm that permitting options are available and in place to ensure that installations can be displayed safely and in compliance with applicable bylaws and operational requirements.

They add the city also has a number of pre-approved arts and music parks where the permitting process is streamlined. But Agostini says those processes are not always feasible for all artists.

“I wouldn’t mind a permit, (but) as an artis, I just don’t want to get involved in that red tape, that government bureaucracy; I’d rather create, so if anybody wants to help…”

Despite those rules, Agostini says he will continue to create his art and hopes to come to some sort of compromise with the city.