The environment and health are the furthest things from developers’ minds.
Their foremost consideration is cost and profit. Whether the issue is cutting down trees on public land without permission, or not removing asbestos from old houses before demolition, it is always cheaper to pay the fines than it is to go through proper procedures.
Developers know full well that what they are doing is wrong but also know all they will get is a slap on the wrist. Municipal councils always seem surprised when this happens, but perhaps they shouldn’t be when fines and penalties are so small and meaningless.
The mayor and his council have made it very clear that they are developer friendly and will bend over backwards to accommodate them and this has emboldened the developers not to follow rules.
Michael Taenzer
Penticton
