Heather Borquez’s home lost its shingle during the derecho that swept through Ottawa in May. “I couldn’t understand why I was the only person on the street getting a letter like that when there are a lot of houses in the neighborhood that are in much, much, much worse shape than mine,” he said. Bylaw services chief Roger Chapman declined to be interviewed but said in an email attributed to him that the threat of a stiff penalty was necessary because “the homeowner was unwilling to cooperate with the [bylaw] army officer.” “It’s not true. I wasn’t even here when it [bylaw officer] came,” said Borquez, who rents the wartime bungalow north of Montreal Road to a family of newly arrived immigrants from Afghanistan. The minor damage to the roof, since repaired, was only visible from the property of a neighbor who local residents say has a long history of lodging nuisance complaints under Ottawa bylaws. WATCHES | Vanier shingles spit:
Ottawa resident shocked by threat of $50,000 fine for missing roofing shingles
Heather Borquez says a complaint from a neighbor led to her facing a $50,000 fine from the Ottawa bylaw for a single shingle that blew off her roof during the derecho in May.
“Neighborhood Spy”
Borges compared the situation to that of a couple in the Ottawa suburb of Barrhaven who were recently ordered to curb their driveway after a neighbor complained to bylaw services. Calling it a case of “rule by a neighbor,” she said the situation made her feel like she was living in communist Russia. “Where you have a neighborhood spy and the spy calls you and reports you,” he said. The house on Dagmar Street is rented by a family of newcomers to Canada. (Stu Mills/CBC) Borquez and other residents of the street who spoke to the CBC said a single, longtime resident there has an equally long history of filing what they say are petty complaints with the bylaw. Trash cans not being emptied quickly enough, wildflowers allowed to grow in city limits and mowing too close to his fence have drawn his ire, residents Jeff Watson and Tina Tolgyesy said. However, when asked by CBC News if he had filed a complaint about the missing shingles, the man denied it. Borges struggled to find a roofer willing to take on the tiny repair in the days after the May 21 windstorm tore roofs off homes across Ottawa. In the end, he met the city’s deadline, with the repair bill coming in at just $300. A photo taken by the bylaw officer and included in her violation notice shows the wind damage to Borquez’s roof. (City of Ottawa)
A hostile Ottawa?
But experience has it that whistle-blowing enforcement creates a hostile Ottawa. Stéphane Émard-Chabot agreed. “I don’t think it’s what we anticipated,” said the lawyer who teaches municipal law at the University of Ottawa. If the statute reflects values and priorities that are outside the community, then it deserves to be enforced across the board.- Stéphane Émard-Chabot Émard-Chabot was an Ottawa city councilor from 1994-2000 and said that during that time the city moved to cut costs, reducing the number of law enforcement officers on patrol and moving from proactive enforcement to a complaint driven system. “Often without a full policy discussion about ‘Is this a good idea?’ and, “What are the effects of the policy in the long run?” The law professor suggested that instead of enforcement by complaint when resources are stretched, a “healthier,” fairer system would be for the department to pick one or two enforcement priorities, addressing them at the community level. “If the regulation reflects values and priorities that exist in the community, then it deserves to be enforced throughout,” he said.
title: “Woman Faces 50 000 Fine For Losing Shingles After Reporting Statute " ShowToc: true date: “2022-11-30” author: “Lisa Taylor”
Heather Borquez’s home in Vanier lost shingle during the derecho that swept through in May. “I couldn’t understand why I was the only person on the street getting a letter like that when there are a lot of houses in the neighborhood that are in much, much, much worse shape than mine,” he said. Ottawa’s head of bylaws, Roger Chapman, declined to be interviewed, but said in an email attributed to him that the threat of a stiff penalty was necessary because “the homeowner was not willing to cooperate with [bylaw] army officer.” “It’s not true. I wasn’t even here when it [bylaw officer] came,” said Borquez, who rents the wartime bungalow north of Montreal Road to a family of new immigrants from Afghanistan. The minor damage to the roof, since repaired, was only visible from the property of a neighbor who local residents say has a long history of lodging nuisance complaints under Ottawa bylaws. WATCHES | Vanier shingles spit:
Ottawa resident shocked by threat of $50,000 fine for missing roofing shingles
Heather Borquez says a complaint from a neighbor led to her facing a $50,000 fine from the Ottawa bylaw for a single shingle that blew off her roof during the derecho in May.
“Neighborhood Spy”
Borges compared the situation to that of a couple in the Ottawa suburb of Barrhaven who were recently ordered to curb their driveway after a neighbor complained to bylaw services. Calling the case “rule by neighbor,” she said the situation made her feel like she was living in communist Russia. “Where you have a neighborhood spy and the spy calls you and reports you,” he said. The house is rented by a family of newcomers to Canada. (Stu Mills/CBC) Borquez and other residents of the street who spoke to the CBC said a longtime resident there has an equally long history of filing what they say are frivolous complaints with the bylaw. Trash cans not being emptied quickly enough, wildflowers allowed to grow in city limits and mowing too close to his fence have drawn his ire, residents Jeff Watson and Tina Tolgyesy said. However, when asked by CBC News if he had filed a complaint about the missing shingles, the man denied it. A photo taken by the bylaw officer and included in her violation notice shows the wind damage to Borquez’s roof. (City of Ottawa) Borges struggled to find a roofer willing to take on the tiny repair in the days after the May 21 windstorm tore roofs off homes across Ottawa. In the end, he met the city’s deadline, with the repair bill coming in at just $300.
A hostile Ottawa?
But experience has it that whistle-blowing enforcement creates a hostile Ottawa. Stéphane Émard-Chabot agreed. “I don’t think it’s what we anticipated,” said the lawyer who teaches municipal law at the University of Ottawa. If the statute reflects values and priorities that are outside the community, then it deserves to be enforced across the board.- Stéphane Émard-Chabot Émard-Chabot was an Ottawa city councilor from 1994-2000 and said that during that time, the city moved to cut costs by reducing the number of law enforcement officers on patrol and moving from proactive enforcement to a complaint driven system. “Often without a full policy discussion about ‘Is this a good idea?’ and, ‘What are the effects of the policy in the long run?’” he pondered. The law professor suggested that instead of enforcement by complaint when resources are stretched, a “healthier,” fairer system would be for the department to pick one or two enforcement priorities and address them at the community level. “If the regulation reflects values and priorities that are outside the community, then it deserves to be implemented across the board.”
