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Nuisance bylaw needs enforcing

Posted on July 11, 2013 by Taber Times

I am writing to you as I am a frustrated home owner and tax payer. This letter is in regard to the Town of Taber bylaws.

The Municipal Government Act, authorizes municipalities, such as Taber, to create and enforce bylaws to maintain the safety, health, and welfare of the people and property, in the community.

The bylaw that I am writing about is Nuisance Bylaw 4-2008. Being a bylaw of the Town Of Taber, for the purpose of regulating and controlling unsightly and untidy premises, for the controlling of noxious/restricted and other weeds, the trimming of trees, and the abatement of nuisances.

I have lived here on 55th Street in Taber for approximately six years. I am an avid gardener and keep my yard and gardens well kept by mowing and weeding, planting flowers etc. I don’t expect others to garden to my extent, but when other yards are full of weeds over a foot high and the seeds are blowing in my yard and causing more work for me I find it very upsetting.

I have spoke to the homeowner, and they said they would take care of the issue, that was last month, June 2013. I have this in writing. Finally this month, July 2,  I called the local bylaw complaint number and voiced my complaint. I was politely told that the peace officer had been dispatched to see me, this was at 8 a.m. approximately. At 9:30 a.m. the bylaw peace officer drove through the alley behind my property, I waved at him, and he kept on driving.

I continued to wait for the peace officer to arrive to speak with me, and still no one showed. I understand they can be quite busy at times, but to not respond at all is frustrating so I called back at 12:30 p.m. and was told they would have the peace officer call me. I did receive a call back, and was told all they could do is post a notice on the properties in question. There are several on this street, and in the back alley behind our home. My issue is why do we have a bylaw that is never properly enforced? It makes people like myself feel like we do not matter. There is an abandoned house of seven years that repeatedly gets called in for being unsightly, notice after notice gets sent and posted and still nothing is done. They wonder why citizens take matters into their own hands. Our towns bylaws are a joke, why do we even have them? Why do we pay for a peace officer that does not come to speak to you in person, to see the actual problem? Probably because it is not them cleaning up after the mess, that is ruining my enjoyment of my property.

Wendy Smith-Harker

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