The Swamp

Graffiti!

October 28th, 2005 at 11:53 am (Current Events)

Remember the “Vandalay Industries” sign that used to be on my house? Looks like by moving, I saved myself $100. In the past few weeks, students have been receiving notices from the city saying that they will be fined if they don’t take down the signs on their houses. Lots of students are getting angry about this, saying that they’re being targeted. A buddy of mine said he didn’t mind the fact that they’re doing this, but he does mind that they’re basically saying, “you want property standards? FINE. We’ll fucking give you property standards, bitches, and you’ll fucking LIKE it.” (This is of course a paraphrase of the city’s original statement.)

Here is a pdf of the property standards bylaw for Kingston. While it’s completely legitimate to say that it’s necessary to enforce the bylaw for exteriors as well as interiors, I don’t like the way it’s being done. First of all, this news of is coming right on the heels of “Kill All Students” talk from various other departments of the city which shall not be named. There’s also the issue of the timeline:

For students (exteriors):

Notice of Infraction: sent after city inspectors go around the ghetto
Removal deadline: ~2 weeks later

Time to fix problem before incurring penalties: 2 weeks, at which point the signs have eaten 3 babies

For landlords (interiors & exteriors such as obvious structural problems):

Initial inspections: must be done by residents, requiring initiative, knowledge that they actually can do something about their terrible living conditions and in some cases also requiring the bravery to face their scary landlords
Fixing deadline: “a reasonable time period,” let’s say ~2 weeks. After the deadline, the tenant can contact the Property Standards office about the problem.
Contact by Property Standards Inspector to arrange a time for inspection: within 2 weeks
Formal inspection and sending of an official order to repair deficiencies: let’s give them the benefit of the doubt and say they’ll be able to do both within a week or two.
Second fixing deadline: “within a prescribed time,” let’s say ~2 weeks again. If the problem is not fixed within those 2 weeks, the city will then commence Legal Action.

Time to fix problem before incurring penalties: 2 months, at which point the house has collapsed

I may be going a bit wild about the structural problems. I know there are many problems around the ghetto that can be seen just from checking the outside.

Further questions:

• Anyone know where I can get a copy of the “Signs” By-Law? They make a reference to it in the Journal but I can’t find it anywhere.
• Has anyone been contacted about problems that have nothing to do with signs?
• Have there been many non-students contacted about signs? Is this only in the vicinity of the ghetto?
• Is Harvey Rosen behind this, or is it the work of the dastardly Penguin?

Hilarious Quote:

“I just think there’s a homogenization of houses and that the city council doesn’t want the bohemian attitude that exists in the Ghetto.”

Far out, man.