Morgan Rielly embroiled in legal battle against City of Toronto

For the second time this offseason, a key member of the Toronto Maple Leafs is finding himself squaring up against the government. First, it was captain John Tavares who may have to pony up several million dollars worth of what he stated was a signing bonus. And now, defenseman Morgan Rielly is in a sticky situation himself, though on a smaller scale. 

While Tavares' battle is against the CRA, Rielly is duking it out with the City of Toronto over some modifications that he and his wife Tessa Virtue would like to make to a home that they've purchased. 

Via The Leafs Nation, the issue is that the City of Toronto considers the red brick masonry on the home, that was labeled as a heritage home by the North Rosedale Heritage Conservation District, to be a valuable characteristic of the property. Meanwhile, the Riellys want it changed: 

"The couple has hired a lobbyist to seek out legal permissions to continue painting the outside of their Rosedale home white after being ordered to stop doing so earlier this week. The house that they purchased for $6.4 million in 2022 has been labelled as a heritage home by the North Rosedale Heritage Conservation District with city staff singling out the red brick masonry in particular as one of the home’s most important attributes.

The city’s heritage department claims that the change from red to white would undermine the character of the property, though ultimately it will be city council that gets the final say on whether the paint job can continue forward or not."

Rielly caused plenty of controversy earlier this season when he attacked Ottawa's Ridly Greig for firing a slap shot into Toronto's vacated net; he was suspended for five games thanks to his actions. 

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