Roger Varley has been in the news business almost 40 years with The Canadian Press/Broadcast News, Uxbnridge Times-Journal, Richmond Hill Liberal and Uxbridge Cosmos. Co-winner with two others of CCNA national feature writing award. In Scout movement over 30 years, almost 25 as a leader. Took Uxbridge youths to World Jamboree in Holland. Involved in community theatre for 20 years as actor, director, playwright, stage manager etc. Born in England, came to Canada at 16, lived most of life north and east of Toronto with a five-year period in B.C.
A case where less would be more
Uxbridge's chief bylaw officer, Andre Gratton, has asked council to approve in its next budget the hiring of a part-time bylaw officer to hand out parking tickets. In addition, council also passed a bylaw Monday appointing “various members” of the arena staff as bylaw enforcement officers so that they can hand out tickets for parking infractions at the arena.
In a long report, Mr. Gratton goes to great lengths to justify the hiring of this additional bylaw officer. Among his arguments, he says this extra body will allow him to focus on the “administrative aspects” of his job “such as updating outdated bylaws (and) the creation of new bylaws”.
One wonders just what new bylaws Mr. Gratton is contemplating. He didn't specify in his report. But I would offer that it is Mr. Gratton's penchant for introducing new bylaws that might be causing him staffing problems. Bylaws such as the Graffiti Bylaw, which prevents stores from selling oversized felt-tipped markers to anyone under 18 years of age, or the Personal Conveyance Bylaw, which prohibits skateboards, in-line skates, bicycles, tricycles and you-name-it from downtown sidewalks. They are unenforceable and he knows it. In fact, Mayor Gerri-Lynn O'Connor informed council on Monday that she wants the graffiti bylaw brought back to council with a view to rescinding it. And the only time I have seen the Personal Conveyance Bylaw used is when I noticed tags left on some baby carriages on Brock Street West which informed the owners that the strollers would be considered as discarded items if they weren't moved off the sidewalk.
Such bylaws, along with the home business bylaw, which limits the number of people who can visit a residence during the day, merely attempt to justify the need for extra bylaw enforcement officers. I'm not attributing any untoward motives to the chief bylaw officer, but when I worked in the corporate world for a major communications company, it was almost standard practice for department managers to try to increase the number of staff under them because it elevated the managers' status.
As for the need for an extra body to hand out parking tickets – and extend the period during which tickets could be issued – I have to say that in the 20-odd years I have lived in Uxbridge, I have never once had a problem finding a parking spot downtown. I have never seen our parking lots so full – because of people parking for more than the allotted time - that I couldn't find a space for my vehicle. In all the years I have been going to the arena to cover the Bruins and other events, I have never seen any parking problems. Maybe I've been going around with my eyes closed, but I don't think so.
If Mr. Gratton's request for a part-time officer is approved in the next budget, I hope that the extra time it gives him to attend to those administrative aspects of which he speaks will be used to pull from the books all those silly, unenforceable bylaws with which this township is now lumbered. He could start with the eighth dumbest law in Canada: the one that makes it illegal to have an Internet connection faster than 56k. He could follow by eliminating the bylaw that makes it illegal to leave your front door unlocked if you are away from home longer than seven days. Then the graffiti bylaw, which attacks everyone except the vandals it is supposed to be aimed against. And the list goes on.
It seems to me that the community would be better served if Mr. Gratton took that approach instead of sitting around trying to think up new bylaws.
Tell me, am I wrong?
