# Once again, shame on stupid people!



## neven (May 15, 2010)

I was walking my son home from the bus stop today, and he likes to take a walking path home. While we were walking up the hill, i stumbled across a couple very stupid people, well selfish more like. They were in the rather narrow green belt portion (city land), with their hatchet and branch cutter, thinning out and cutting low the trees that shade their backyard. It wasnt 1 or 2 trees, it was pretty much every tree next to their lot. It isn't as noticeable as you might think, because the landscape has their home a good 10-15 feet above the path, so most of the trees were snipped at their properties height. But there were more than a couple stumps of trees they decided to cut down completely. I went back with my camera to catch them in action, but they moved up to their lot and were working on the yard. I still emailed port moody with this map and directions to show them the location:
Google Maps

Here is the sore point, i grew up in this area, when we moved into the subdivision we were assured by park lane that when heritage mountain developped, there would be 50 meters of green space between us and them, so the feel of the neighbourhood would remain the same. Downside is nothing was in writing and when it came to clearing the land, they cleared it to 50 feet before pressure on port moody and protests at their other developments in the sale phase caused them to stop. Then after a while when the pressure subsided and some of the most vocal opponents moved, they cleared it to 15 feet at most places. Then they got an environmental assessment, now the trees were unsafe, so they logged them too, and even logged higher than they were initially allowed due to the same assessment. To "save face" they planted pines along the very narrow green belt. off tangeant: (Remember that windstorm we had that took out stanley park, well that same storm took out a ton of trees and 8 homes along trails, greenbelts, all along their heritage mountain development, so it looks like that assessment was rather specific on the area). Anyways, they cut some of those pines, plus the faster growing trees that seem to grow everywhere here. All so their lawn gets more sun.


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## Arcteryx (Nov 23, 2011)

Not sure how it works in other municipalities, but when my neighbour cut down trees to do in effect the same thing, someone called bylaws and he was out the cost of replacing the trees, which was assessed at $50,000!!!!! Needless to say he was one very pissed off neighbour, and would rant to anyone about this injustice. Unfortunately we seem to arrive home at approximately the same time each day and I would hear every variation of his rant.

I was pretty happy when he moved.


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## Ursus sapien (Apr 21, 2010)

I don't get why people who dislike trees move to properties in wooded areas.

Not quite the same situation, but the guy who bought my forested acerage in Whonnock (eastern edge of Maple Ridge) clearcut the front half of the property within a year of moving in. Honestly, I felt like running him over in the street when I first saw what he'd done.


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## SeaHorse_Fanatic (Apr 22, 2010)

Yeah, if you report the neighbours to bylaws, they will probably get a visit from a bylaws officer and made to pay for chopping down trees that are NOT on their property. People have no right to do anything to trees outside their property line.


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## keitarosan (Apr 21, 2010)

having a photo of them in action would help a lot. i just don't understand why people do that. if you don't want trees blocking your view, then buy a property without trees blocking your view. simple!

another bunch of stupid people ar those who walk their dogs and doesn't pick up their poop. i hate those. sorry for the strong word but they are "pigs" to me.


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## Elle (Oct 25, 2010)

We have this issue in North Van. It's a forest on a mountain, right? You'd think that people would take that into account and not move here if they don't like trees. Well, a lot of people seem to feel that the first thing to do when they move here is to cut down every tree in sight. Our next door neighbours are building a new house and were trying to get us to take down an 80'+ mature cedar tree on OUR property. I got bylaws involved, and it's a permit tree now, which means major liability for them if they should damage it, but that didn't stop them clear cutting most of the rest of their own property.

Morons.


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## InfraredDream (Jun 24, 2010)

keitarosan said:


> if you don't want trees blocking your view, then buy a property without trees blocking your view. simple!
> 
> another bunch of stupid people ar those who walk their dogs and doesn't pick up their poop. i hate those. sorry for the strong word but they are "pigs" to me.


Can't agree more with both! When we were looking for a house, every time we found one we like and there was a tree blocking the yard, I was told I can just get rid of it after we buy the house  I was really sick from hearing that over and over again.
And the dogs... don't let me start about the poop in the front yard  And I LOVE dogs, but ... not this


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## neven (May 15, 2010)

My father ssolved the poop on his front lawn. He waited till he caught the person in action, then followed them home. Next time they opened their front door, there was a weeks worth of their dogs poop on the top step. Didn't happen for a very long time, and never regulary. We live next to a mailbox, so lazy dog owners stop and wait for their dog while they read their mail


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## keitarosan (Apr 21, 2010)

neven said:


> My father ssolved the poop on his front lawn. He waited till he caught the person in action, then followed them home. Next time they opened their front door, there was a weeks worth of their dogs poop on the top step. Didn't happen for a very long time, and never regulary. We live next to a mailbox, so lazy dog owners stop and wait for their dog while they read their mail


lol! that's a good one! i'll do that myself next time i see dog poop in front of my house. i'll get a camera too and take pics or videos without their knowledge. you know... just in case they twist the situation and say that i'm dumping a week worth of dog poop on their front door.


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## neven (May 15, 2010)

just post a small plaque in the open, like one of those security system ones, but have it say property under video surveillance.

The City of port moody contacted me back today and this is what they said:


> Hi -------,
> 
> Thank you for taking the time to send an email. The area of concern was checked this morning and it is located on private property. The trees are located within a tree retention area that is protected through a restrictive covenant; we forwarded this concern to our Bylaw staff for follow up . Thank you for bringing this to our attention.
> 
> ...


not knowing legal terminology: Restrictive covenant - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
so i really hope they come down hard on these people.


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## Ursus sapien (Apr 21, 2010)

well done!


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