The Reminder is making its archives back to 2003 available on our website. Please note that, due to technical limitations, archive articles are presented without the usual formatting.
Jonathon Naylor Editor A year after the rule came into force, there is debate over the effectiveness of a city bylaw designed to keep municipally owned boulevards trimmed. Coun. Colleen McKee does not believe the bylaw _ which forces residents to mow the grassy boulevards adjacent to their properties _ has worked. 'I was walking today and ran into a six-foot dandelion,' she said when asked about the bylaw at last week's city council meeting. But Coun. Bill Hanson disagrees with the notion that the bylaw has had zero impact. 'I know that down the street from my place had never, ever been mowed until we put that bylaw in, and now it's been mowed ever since,' he said. It appears no one has been fined for failing to mow their boulevard, but Coun. Hanson said reminder letters have been sent to some residents, who have then complied. He said many people were under the assumption that it was the city's job to mow the boulevards. 'The reason we put the bylaw in place wasn't so we could go around and fine residents,' Coun. Hanson said. 'It was just so we could make people aware that it's actually their responsibility and it always was.' Coun. Hanson said the hope was that most residents would maintain the boulevards on their own and he believes most people do just that. When it comes to bylaw enforcement in general, Coun. McKee said the city is understaffed. 'I think what happens is that we have so many bylaws and we have no one to enforce them and that's where we run into trouble,' she said. 'For some reason, this community has problems with adhering to bylaws.' Law enshrined Council adopted the boulevard bylaw in July 2011, for the first time enshrining into law mandatory mowing of city-owned property. If a homeowner refuses to comply, the city has the right to mow the boulevard itself and tack the cost onto the resident's property tax bill. The preamble of the bylaw states that 'many boulevard areas in Flin Flon have grass that needs seasonal cutting' and that the city 'does not have the resources to mow all boulevard areas as a free service to the public.' At the time of its passage, Mayor George Fontaine defended the bylaw against critics who felt it was heavy-handed. He said the goal is to make the community look nicer and save the city _ and by extension taxpayers _ the cost of hiring additional staff to maintain the boulevards. Neither Creighton nor Denare Beach have boulevard-mowing bylaws. Paula Muench, town administrator for Creighton, told The Reminder last year that the town's boulevards are mostly located on Main Street. She said the town would like residents to mow their ditches _ and most do _ but there is no law requiring them to do so. Colin Craig, prairie director of the Canadian Taxpayers Federation, believes such decrees are standard fare. 'My understanding is that in most cities, you have to cut that lawn,' he told The Reminder, also last year. Craig thinks most people are okay with such bylaws and that those who aren't need to consider the alternative. 'If they don't cut the lawn, then the city's going to have to pay someone to cut the lawn, and the city's going to pass that cost on to taxpayers,' he said.
