Thursday, February 23, 2006

"Rubbish, noxious, offensive, and unwholesome"

is a pretty good description of the Unsightly Premises Bylaw that passed first reading at Bowen council.
From the Undercurrent:
"The proposed bylaw stipulates that residents could be fined for allowing their property to become untidy, unsightly, or for causing or permitting "rubbish or noxious, offensive or unwholesome matter to collect or accumulate.
[Officer Leahy] defended the need for the bylaw, stating that it could and should apply to buildings in a perpetual state of construction. Additionally he said, "Some people just don't understand that their junk upsets their neighbours." "

Certainly this is the kind of junk that upsets me. Welcome to West Van Lite.
We all remember that long thread on the Forum castigating a young couple undergoing a personal tragedy for having other things on their minds than picking up 2x4's at the site of their home reno. And how some posters suggested leaving them alone or else offering to help.
So how about a bylaw proposing a fine for every day you complain about but don't offer to help out a neighbour whose reno has gotten bogged down due to financial or personal difficulties?
I'm sorry, what was that? Your neighbour's difficulties are not your problem?
Good call. Shut the fuck up then.

And way to go, Councillors Lisa B, Lisa S and Dave for raising objections.
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1 comment:

Anonymous said...

Bylaw, bylaws, bylaws. Is emforcement really possible? I can think of one good instance where this bylaw could have been used, I'm thinking of a pesky neighbour, the usual run of the mill psycho kind, who continued posting ugly signs to harrass a neighbour, then put up ugly signs whilst the neighbours moved due to the inability, or unwillingness of the system to prosecute for what is considered "low on the list" in the city, yet has a huge impact in a small community.

The psycho was in violation of many bylaws and the first complaint took 8 months for anything to be done about it. What good is a bylaw without effective enforcement???

After all the shit these people went through, and the gross display of the injustice system, we may as well just allow "Island Justice".

At any rate, careful now, some golden gumboot yups may be in for a surprise when the avante guarde rule that Lee Valley, Eddy Bauer, Land's End et al are unsightly due to their capitalist connecions. After all, what's worse...old cars, 2x4's etc. or unsightly displays of WallMart? Ikea items are just as offensive for their pretenscious mainstream non-individualism , churned out, factory made as Wallyworld.

If we insist on having bylaws , perhaps we could have one stating that all lawn and outdoor objects must be free, hand-made, found , or extremely fucking expensive so the middle and upper middle stop their offensive ways and laws.

After all, if taste is to be dictated, then we want only grunt-artists and the monied to the hilt making the decisions together. No Arts Council juried shit either.

Ya, that's what I like!

24/2/06 5:05 pm

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