Toronto Public Library refuses to let lost child use their phone to call home, apologizes

The Toronto Public Library is apologizing after a mother took to social media, saying they refused to let her lost child use their phone to call for help.

The Toronto Public Library is apologizing after a mom says they refused to let her lost child use their phone to call for help.

In a post on X, mom Megan Kinch recounted what happened, writing that her “11-year-old got lost and asked for help at a library.”

“They told her she couldn’t call her mom from the phone and should use a payphone,” she wrote Nov. 29.

“She said she didn’t know how. They said they couldn’t help, and she ended up crying alone on the street corner.”

Kinch wrote that while a stranger waiting at the bus stop near the library let her daughter use their phone, kids who get lost should be able to go to the public library for help.

“I love libraries, I’m a serious writer, and I worked at one for a year (different library system) before becoming an electrician — I think libraries should be a lifeline to people in the community, including lost children and youths,” Kinch wrote.

Later in her posts, Kinch said the incident happened at the Riverdale Branch on Broadview Avenue near Gerrard Street East.

Kinch wrote that she lives downtown and that it’s not uncommon for middle school kids to walk around.