Sometime back in the fall I registered with Seeclickfix to make a post regarding an unsafe Town culvert. Ever since that point, I get annoying daily emails regarding other postings. I was going to opt out of them but my wife enjoys them. She said they are full of amusing postings about parking, unsightly premises, people living in cars and various other nefarious local activities.
One common thread with the vast majority of them is nothing gets done. Most of the responses are posted days later and usually with a comment that problem is gone, call bylaw enforcement during business hours otherwise call the RCMP. It made me think of a warm summer day back in the summer, I called bylaw enforcement when I saw a dog defecating on the beach at Williamson Lake. I left a message on the answering machine and received a call back 2 days later. I think my response was, “I don’t believe the dog is still squatting on the beach but thanks for the call back”. The fact was there were dogs running loose every time I visited Williamson Lake last summer, I guess not from 8-5 Monday thru Friday.
We did the right thing by taking Bylaw enforcement back from the Commissionaires but we missed the boat when we squandered the opportunity to make a real change. A case in point was last summer, I was in Sicamous when an older gentleman pulled up beside me in a late 80s Ford with a Bylaw Enforcement decal slapped on the side. I had a giggle but then realized that compared to our brand new SUV they got the last laugh. They beat us in the most cost effective category.
The Town made provisions for after-hours work in the Bylaw Enforcement job posting. It states the position involves evening and weekend work, we can clearly see from the responses to Seeclickfix that they have no intent on working evenings and weekends. The
Town clearly believes the RCMP is the answer. I reported a commercial property crime and was admonished by the responding officer for wasting his time. I can imagine their response to calls about parking in yellow zones on a Friday night. Is Council going to pass a motion directing the RCMP to place added emphasis on Bylaw Enforcement?
We’ve already lost at being the most cost effective but let’s see if we can have the municipality with the best Bylaw customer service. Work some evenings and weekends, park at the corner of McKenzie and 1st, react to a Seeclickfix with the hour, publish a regular report about Bylaw Enforcement activities. Either that or delete Seeclickfix so we don’t know how bad the service is.
As a side note, I could forgive the new SUV if the Town made the bold step to reduce their carbon footprint and go electric but no, let’s leave that for another community with foresight.
In my opinion.
Your Arm Chair Mayor,
Peter Humphreys
