Northern Lights: Cut Viewers A Break Bylaw
Ottawa bylaw officers get carried away now and then.
One of those times is right now as they enforce park closure times during a spectacular and rare display of the northern lights.
Watching the northern lights is not only awe-inspiring, it is also educational. Bylaw officers could perhaps ask people what they are doing rather than just ticketing them during astral displays.
Now if someone is cutting down a tree while watching the northern lights, that might be a bit of a tip-off that the lights are not job 1. Or perhaps if two people are watching the submarine races on the Ottawa River, well that might be a bit of a giveaway.
That said, bylaws are not necessarily one-size-fits-all.
The northern light are an unusual occurrence, beautiful and educational. Let’s not rob people of that experience.
A bit of discretion please, bylaw officers.
Ken Gray
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You capture your efficiencies where you find them, proving once again Ottawa is the city fun forgot. I wonder if this was overtime work for the bylaw officers.
Yes indeed, Been. On the whole I find that by-law officers are very informative and helpful individuals. I wonder if their actions related to this article are aimed at reducing the city’s massive debt and are being prompted by city hall with by-law playing the role of bad cop. Nickel and diming city residents is not a solution to the bigger issue of bad decisions being made at the helm.
My friend was going to a work celebration around 5:30 downtown. There was parking available for free after 5:30 but as she was 10 min early, she was going to get a short pay permit for those 10 minutes. The bylaw officer was near her when she parked the car and she greeted him and said she was just going to the machine to get a ticket to pay for the parking. She turned around and the bylaw officer who watched her go to the machine, put a ticket on her car as she was walking back from the payment machine. He growled at her “I don’t want to hear about it!” and stomped off. She won in court of course, but so many issues about this – it was entirely unnecessary by by-law, she will probably organize her future work events at a restaurant that is not downtown to avoid having this happen again. The restaurant will get less parties, less business. Bylaw does not do “discretion” well. Which brings up the idling bylaw which requires Bylaw officers to exercise “discretion”. This will not end well