Wayyyyy Too Much Government

Not just today, but frequently.

Just a sampling of my recent mail/instructions/contacts initiated by local or provincial government:

This from the provincial Government ... because I have a liquor license.  Note the ultra-expensive high-gloss wax-finish white cardboard mailer...for the "mandatory to display" crap that it contained.

from Liquor and Cannabis Regulation in Victoria

By clicking on the photo above, you will see that--since Cannabis has been legalized in Canada--the letter(s) are signed by not one--but two--individuals.  The Assistant Deputy Minister/General Manager of the Liquor Agency, and an "Executive Lead" from the Population and Public Health Division.
Sheesh, folks!  (Cannabis!  I do NOT allow cannabis consumption at my facility's patio...I don't care that it's been legalized!)

Then there was the telephone call from Interior Health--a nice fellow named Mr. Nickel--who booked an appointment for a Health department inspection here (either today or tomorrow).

In addition, here's a letter from the District of Coldstream's Matt Treit, the Protective Services Coordinator, stating he will be conducting a fire inspection of my facility.

Local government letter

Yes, I will phone him to schedule an appointment for the inspection.

And then there was a letter from the feds...the Canada Revenue Agency's "Bob Hamilton, Commissioner of Revenue" (ahem!) regarding the GST and BC climate action tax credit (huh?).
Two pages to basically say nothing...so I didn't take a photo of it.

It's unfortunate that none of these bureaucrats was here this morning.

They could've helped me reduce the 3 hours it took to box/bag and load for the recycling plant the empty drink containers (some of which smelled particularly icky from being in garbage containers in the sun).   Plus drive to and from the facility.

Oh yes, a couple of days ago the three invoices (for my 3 water meters--residence, clubhouse and irrigation--for this Quarter) arrived from our local government's Greater Vernon Water Authority accounting department (through DoC).  To save all but myself from the shock component, no photos were taken of those invoices.

And of course, a few days before that the annual Property Tax payment was due.  Also didn't take a photo of it because nobody (including me) can hope to understand the myriad charges from the following "taxing jurisdictions" ... are you sitting down?  (deep breath to read...)  Local School, Basic School, for both Residential and Business and R/Non Profit, as well as a small reduction for my PHOG Basic, plus for each of Residential and Business and R/Non Profit the following:  General Tax, Debt, MFA, NORD, Hospital, BC Assessment, Parks & Rec, OK Library, Multiuse, Theatre.  Plus Bylaw 4004, NORD Septage, whatever the hell that means since my property is on numerous septic tanks/fields.
A total of two pages!

Oh, and a visitor (zoom in by clicking the following photo) when I returned from recycling this morning:

"That last photo is likely also a government employee," Kia would've said.

Could be, Kia.
There certainly are enough of them.
 

Camille's Nightmare

To be blunt, Camille Marten's nightmare is the Regional District of North Okanagan.

A sentiment shared by many people over the years, I might add.

"The building was there when the business owner purchased it in 2009,

 and the RDNO was consulted as to its proposed use.

 It has passed all fire and health and safety inspections

 and has been cooperative with the RDNO

 throughout this exhausting two year process,

 and now, because of a minor technicality that can be fixed

 with the stroke of a pen, it faces closure."

Rolke, Morning Star                  

"Bin der, dun dat," I recall.

And RDNO/GVAC elected officials--goaded into adhering to the tomes of paperwork by bureaucrats--are mildly fussing that Camille's Rhythmic Gymnastics facility "may not be allowed to use a building on East Vernon Road because of zoning issues," as reported by the Morning Star in a couple of recent articles.

Or it should be stated to continue using it.

As Rolke reported:  "
"Although the business has worked diligently with the district and has met all health and safety conditions set out by the district, a new issue has arisen because the size of the building is slightly too large for its permitted use within the Agricultural Land Reserve," said Vernon councillor Scott Anderson.

"The building was there when the business owner purchased it in 2009, and the RDNO was consulted as to its proposed use. It has passed all fire and health and safety inspections and has been cooperative with the RDNO throughout this exhausting two year process, and now, because of a minor technicality that can be fixed with the stroke of a pen, it faces closure."

So the building is slightly too large?
Huh?
The Gymnastics club has used the building for years.
 
I'm thinking that some bored bureaucrat decided to whittle away an otherwise unproductive afternoon by reading the size rules for non-farm use of buildings on ALR land.

Hoping to score merit points with his superior, he had an "aha" moment and the bureaucrat felt it made sense to not allow Vernon's Olympic champion, Camille, to continue using it.

Canadian--as well as American--bureaucracy.

 Martens says "it's been a two-year nightmare."

She's wrong.
Dead wrong.
The nightmare never ends.

No matter that most of the area's elected officials appear to support Camille's facility.
And one or two of them are concerned "at how RDNO has been portrayed by the media and some residents," according to BX-Silver Star director Mike Macnabb.

Concerned how RDNO has been portrayed?
Jeez!
Who cares how RDNO has been portrayed!

Because it's the truth.

We are over-governed.
We are over-regulated.
Over-everything-ed, yup, that's the lot of residents in the North Okanagan.

Bureaucracy's foibles--and the elected officials who allow bureaucratic misfits to create such mayhem--are a lifelong nightmare.

"Camille may need a sleeping pill," Kia would've said, "to get through the rest of the process of 'legitimizing' the business she's been running for many years."

Yup.
Took me a few years to finally overcome/wake up from the Highlands Golf zoning nightmare too.

...and elected officials openly wonder why business avoids locating in the North Okanagan!
Duh!

When Bureaucracy Becomes a Three-Sided Coin

That's when ridiculousness materializes.

When the loudest noise is the invisible wheels of local government screeching to a hard stop.

That noise is generally only a fleeting annoyance to the public as we read the local paper.

But every now and then, reading the local paper's take on bureaucratic "issues" immediately produces another noise...."oh puh-lease" from readers.

Take two recent examples:

It's local election time and, naturally, candidate signs have been popping up at roadsides in communities.

The soil hadn't yet settled around signs' posts when Vernon's bureaucrats reminded the sitting council that candidates were in violation of the Sign Bylaw they themselves enacted or--more accurately--approved.  (Bylaws are generally enacted after submission of a "staff (bureaucratic) report".

Turns out that Vernon's bylaw "doesn't permit election signs on public right(sic)-of-way," as editorialized by Rolke in The Morning Star yesterday.  Sitting councillor Brian Quiring had the pluck to state what I felt myself on reading the story "I think it's crazy...it's like Christmas for the bylaw guys -- let's yank these things down."

Some candidates' signs were on rights-of-way, some were posted on private property with the permission of the landowner.  If rights-of-way signage were to be pulled down by the bylaw guys, the "city would be seen to favour some candidates over others."   And Vernon's top bureaucrat attests "we don't."

Rolke had his take on it:  "By shelving the rules for politicians, the wrong message is being sent...consider that candidates can post signs where they want without ramification but if a non-profit agency hangs a fundraising banner without the required permit ... it gets ripped down."

Reporter Rolke suggests if election candidates are de facto exempt from the bylaw, "they may ... have bent the law."

That's two sides of the coin.

The third side of the coin, to this member of the public, assumes that both aspiring and sitting politicians -- and bureaucrats haven't forgotten a recent provincial focus to reduce and eliminate Red Tape.
Unnecessary red tape.

Remember that?
I do.
But bureaucrats obviously don't. 

So what are bureaucrats' plans four years from now?
Send election hopefuls a $50 invoice for legal placement of an election sign?
Is that why communities have a Sign Bylaw in the first place?

Maybe it's the bureaucratic way of preventing this...

Farm properties' (business) signs in Oliver, B.C.

or perhaps to prevent a physical repeat by the biggest sign landlord in the province, Pattison Ltd., whose highway billboards are so numerous that they denote sign pollution...think Highway 97 west of Kelowna's bridge.

Yet another three-sided coin:
The public's "oh puh-lease" sour mood can be forgiven from this second feature--albeit front-page:   "Officials delay action on gateway signs", crumbling gateway signs, featured in the October 17th issue.

http://northokanagandaily.blogspot.ca/2014/01/metaphor-for-failed-amalgamation-study.html

 

Seems the Regional District of North Okanagan "doesn't have a function for the operation and maintenance of these signs", said RDNO top bureaucrat David Sewell.  Sewell stated repairs were a "challenge".

Huh?
These signs were installed six years ago by Greater Vernon's "then-economic development function...which disbanded in 2009" reports the newspaper. 

Even if the "service" ("function"...to maintain the signs) were created, it would apparently depend on whether Vernon, Coldstream and two electoral areas "wanted to participate" (read:  pay for it).  They must've been involved when the three signs were planned and installed.  Was there no thought given to maintaining the signs?

But "even if the signs were demolished," director Sawatzky (and current Vernon mayor, who has chosen to retire from politics) said "You'd still need a budget to take them down."

"Oh puh-lease" pops into my mind, the only printable response to those quotes.

Function?

That word alone is another three-sided coin.
It's a noun and a verb, but Regional District bureaucrats don't seem to understand it.

Regional District directors should've more accurately named it a Department, a noun, as in "department of".

Vernon councillor Mary-Jo O'Keefe called it correctly during last year's "amalgamation" non-study when she considered the Greater Vernon Advisory Committee directorship of the regional district "...it's dysfunctional."

"Three-sided coins lead to the public's sour moods," affirms Kia.

And it will ever be thus.
To the laughter of bureaucrats.

"Hate bureaucracy, and the bureaucrats that practise it."

Jack Welch, former Chairman, GM