Editor: Valerie White (The Times, Sept. 2) sent a letter, attempting to show her support for the Township RV parking bylaw. Instead, she gave possibly one of the best arguments that should be used to get rid of it — and fast.
By making several self-centred statements, she has bravely announced that she is one of “those people” by writing: “I do not want to see RVs parked throughout the year in my neighbours’ driveways” and that by eliminating RVs from her neighbourhood, she claims that it “enables me to see what is going on in my neighbourhood and helps me see if there are people or vehicles that don’t belong here.”
I ask her to realize the following facts:
1 — It is not your neighbourhood, it is everyone’s. Although you and others like you may have an opinion as to what a “perfect neighbourhood” has and doesn’t have, it is none of your business what any neighbour around you puts in his or her driveway. If you want to change this, then buy the land titles of the properties as far as your eyes can see. Then and only then will it be your neighbourhood. You can even paint the houses that you now own to meet your tastes.
2 — You are not the neighbourhood police, let the police take care of you and your neighbours. If your desire is to eliminate RVs from driveways so that you can get a clear view while you spy on everyone, then realize this is not your business. Shall we cut down all trees while we are at it, so as to give you a clearer view of any “people or vehicles that don’t belong.”
3 — Everyone “belongs” in your neighbourhood. Deal with it. Do you actually call 911 if my third cousin shows up in my driveway with a vehicle that you do not think “belongs?”
4 — Everyone is different. Some people like an empty driveway, some like boating, some like camping, some like tinkering on cars, some people dress in a way that may not be to your liking, and even using colour combinations that you find offensive.
The most important comment she made was that she admitted that all of this utopia of a neighbourhood was just a vision and was simply “in her opinion.” Thank goodness she is aware that these personal goals and desires are merely her opinion. Do not dictate to me what I can store on my land, unless you are prepared to buy it from me.
Doug Nickason,
Langley
