Does anyone else feel like we are living under a dictatorship in Mission. B.C. or is it just me?
I must have committed the most horrendous crime in order to be issued with a hostile threatening sticker on my garbage bucket informing me that I could be fined $250 if I ever violate this by-law again.
What was my crime? Well, we had a Statutory holiday and I inadvertently put my buckets at the curb forgetting that pick up had been moved ahead by one day. Well, lock me up and throw away the key. What an unforgivable violation.
I am sure that not everyone who lives in the District of Mission is able to get their buckets to the curb between 5 am and 8 am. Some folks are handicapped and need to rely on others who may not always be available in this allocated three hour time slot.
There are those who work night shifts and those who have to be out of town for a variety of reasons. Yet our whole lives seem to have to revolve around our garbage pick up according to city hall. I regret to inform city hall that some of our lives consist of more than adhering to the garbage by-laws and it’s enforcers.
I would like to take the opportunity to remind city hall that they have been elected to serve our district not to be masters who lord it over us terrorizing us with threats. It is after all our tax dollars that pay your salaries.
I am not a masochist and do not pay people to abuse me. I can’t speak for others, but I certainly did not cast my vote to have the privilege of serving a dictatorial elite at city hall nor did I cast a vote to have draconian by-laws impose huge fines for something as frivolous as forgetting what day garbage day is.
My property tax bill shows that I pay for garbage pick up, I did not see anywhere on my bill that I was agreeing to pay to be abused or threatened. A friendly reminder would have been sufficient.
Jessie Hardy
Mission
