Kelly's Articles and Market Updates

With the rise in ‘woke-ism culture’ in municipalities across North America, there is an increasing temptation for ordinary property owner citizens to simply be lazy and complacent, and take things as they come, when doing so only encourages more of the same bad behaviour and consequences.

In this article, I outline a series of problems that, if left undisturbed and unreported, increase society chaos; undermine property rights; and lower property values.

Taking the City of Edmonton in Alberta, Canada as an example (reference website http://www.edmonton.ca), below are a series of maintenance and bylaw infraction categories that should always and relentlessly be reported to Municipalities by citizens as soon as possible on an on-going basis:

(1). Windrows and Winter Road Maintenance: stacking of snow and ice on streets and boulevards that prevent the safe and timely passage of vehicles.

(2). Winter Sidewalks: formation of ice that makes it incredibly dangerous to walk. Property owners are required to keep sidewalks free of snow and ice for safety.

(3). Obstructions in Public Roads and Walkways: objects that are placed by someone other than City which create a hazard or danger and must be immediately removed.

(4). Pooling of Water in Road Depression: when flash floods happen or sewer backups, any low-lying areas that fill with water can make traverse dangerous.

(5). Potholes: the freeze-thaw of the ground beneath roadways that cause small depressions in the asphalt. These are dangerous because vehicles may swerve around into other lanes to avoid them or else drive through them causing vehicle assembly damage. To prevent the formation of potholes in winter climates, municipalities must be encouraged (and ordered) to keep the roadways clean of snow and ice (i.e. rather than just allowing traffic to compact on top of the road) so that way when it melts in the Spring the water does not seep beneath the roadway.

(6). Road Maintenance: Municipalities are encouraged to plan road construction and maintenance to minimize traffic disruption. This can include: (a). night-time work when traffic is the lightest; (b). working 7 days a week (day and time) until the work is finished to minimize barricade time; (c). minimize barricade lanes and lengths because every 50’ that a roadway lane is barricaded, the traffic queues increase; (d). have adequate traffic personnel to direct at intersections and around equipment as many be necessary; (e). in the case of rural highways, minimize the minutes spent in ‘complete directional shutdowns’ through proper advance planning.

(7). Transit: includes delinquent bus or light rail transit drivers that do not follow the rules of the road on their route.

(8). Streetlight and Traffic Sign Maintenance: includes streetlights that are out (creating dangers for drivers and pedestrians) and traffic signs that might be knocked down, damaged, removed, or provides false information.

(9). Traffic Signal Light Timing: includes street lights that are ‘red’ too long; have too quick of a yellow light; or that do not allow the timely passage of pedestrians.

(10). Dead Animal Removal: includes cats, dogs, rabbits, raccoons, foxes, deer, bears, moose, snakes, skunks, porcupines, etc. that create odours and traffic dangers.

(11). Littering public property: mainly includes larger items that might fall off a vehicle or intentionally disposed or abundance of smaller items by single person or group.

(12). Garbage collection: includes any missed collections, overflowing garbage cans, and trespass / illegal dumping of garbage into other property owner’s cannisters.

(13). Lighting: includes replacing streetlights with burnt out bulbs – light helps to illuminate public areas at night and prevent criminal activity.

(14). Dead / overgrown trees – public property: includes removal of unsightly trees and undergrowth that create insect / rodent havens and fire hazards.

(15). Park grass maintenance – includes mowing grass to keep areas clean and tidy so parks can be used for walking, children playing, etc.

(16). Playground maintenance – includes fixing any damaged structural members to merry-go-rounds; swings; slides; jungle gyms; etc. that can be loose or broken and cause a hazard to children. Note: there are Canadian companies such as Softline Solutions (see company website: https://www.softlinesolutions.net ) that offer safe renovation options for municipalities on playgrounds, daycares and anywhere children play.

(17). Trails – includes all maintenance of the trails to keep them safe for passage.

(18). Dog Barking (Excessive) – excessive dog barking violates noise bylaws and the peace and tranquility of public areas and private property. Delinquent dog owners could be ordered to debark their dog or remove the dog entirely from the property

(19). Dog Waste (Defecation) – includes damage caused by dogs to public areas; to private property; as dog owners are required to pick up immediately after their dog.

(20). Encampments – includes the misuse of public or private property as an ‘outdoor hotel’ where squatters trespass; set up tents; and live in an area without the consent of the property owner. This behavior may be combined with littering; drug or excess alcohol use; urine / defecation; creating noise disturbances; and / or endangering the health and safety of passersby who are unable to use the space(s) occupied.

(21). Animal / Insect / Rodent / Reptile Infestation – includes spraying for mosquitos and other pests on public property. Can also include issuing health orders to comply for private property.

(22). Graffiti – includes defacing of road appurtenances; bridges; mailboxes; private property; fencing; vehicles; etc. which can damage a neighbourhood’s reputation.

(23). Drug needles or other Hazardous Waste disposal – includes littering of any items that could pose a mild, medium or severe health or safety risk to the general public.

(24). Noise complaint – includes loud screaming / yelling; TVs too loud; loud music; banging on the walls; airhorns; no muffler on vehicles; etc. that violate noise bylaws.

(25). Nuisance property – includes overgrown areas of private property with lawn not mowed after many weeks or months; trees have not been pruned for many years; fencing or house exterior that is left rotting for many years; broken windows that are not replaced; garbage and litter (or old vehicles) disposed on yard in plain view; etc.

(26). Weed identification – includes formation of any noxious weeds that can jump from one property to another. Noxious weeds must be controlled and eliminated.

(27). Parking complaint – includes improper parking (e.g. in the middle of the road; facing the wrong direction; crossing an exit driveway; too close to a corner, stop sign, or fire hydrant; parking beyond legal time limit; parking in non-allowed space such as residential vehicle in commercial space or healthy person in handicap space; etc.

(28). General inquiries / feedback – includes anything else not included in the categories above and anytime citizens have general feedback they wish to share. This can include issues with City zoning regulations, development, etc. decisions made.

To report the above infractions and others, readers are encouraged to visit the website for your municipality to find out the process and links or phone number. For the City of Edmonton, open the link below for the links and forms to complete:

https://311.edmonton.ca/reports/list_services

Note Municipalities will require name, address, and contact information of the person making the complaint. This is important because otherwise people might be tempted to make complaints that are false if there is no accountability or tracing.

This should not discourage citizens: in my professional opinion, it is all of our patriotic duty as property owners and taxpayers to keep our cities and towns neat, tidy, safe, and secure so that way we enjoy living here and then in the future when ready to sell, our properties will better retain or increase their resale value because Buyers will see your communities as a worthwhile long-term investment for them and their families. This process is not easy and each citizen should make routine complaints whenever required so Municipal bureaucracies (who work for us) understand your expectations.

* My best advice: citizens should ignore minor personal implications including time and effort exerted with making a complaint and instead remember the Golden Rule “Do unto others …”: when as a citizen you perform your civic duty and report (as an example) an extremely icy walkway requiring immediate clearing due to safety concerns, you are helping to prevent someone else from injuring themselves tomorrow on that same icy walk and going to the hospital with a serious injury. This exact reasoning will be applied to each and every one of the 28 categories above. Imagine how spectacular your community would be as a place to live if each citizen made between 3 to 5 complaints each year to the Municipality when warranted.

[Article written and ©2023 by Kelly Grant, M.Eng., ABR, NCSO, P.Eng. - Residential / Commercial / Rural REALTOR® at MaxWell POLARIS in Edmonton, AB]

Disclaimer: for those readers not currently represented by another licensed REALTOR®, to obtain more information on this topic and / or if you will be selling or buying in the Greater Edmonton Area, call Kelly at 780-414-6100 (pager); text Kelly at 780-717-9290; or send Kelly an email to SOLD@KellyGrant.ca to schedule a confidential appointment.