Neighbour’s junk has him in funk

Hey there, time traveller!
This article was published 06/04/2016 (3513 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

Dear Miss Lonelyhearts: My neighbour is a woman with her head on backward. She has messed up her big backyard with building stuff, like truckloads of wood. Her place is an eyesore. For the last three years she said she is building a cottage, but I haven’t seen anything to reduce the junk in her backyard. We have a chain-link fence between our properties, and every time I look at it, my blood pressure goes up. What if her piles of building material attract rabbits and other rodents? She should be reported to the proper authorities, but I don’t know who that would be. Who do you suggest?

— Furious Neighbour, Charleswood

Dear Furious Neighbour: Winnipeg has a neighbourhood livability bylaw that requires homeowners to keep their properties maintained to a certain standard, free of junk and with the grass at a reasonable length, among other regulations. The exact details are on the city’s website. Call 311and a bylaw enforcement officer will inspect your neighbour’s property to determine if she is violating the city’s cleanliness rules.

But why do you need to report your neighbour? Why can’t you live and let live? Maybe she really is building a cabin. How is this hurting you? You haven’t seen any rabbits yet, but you imagine they might be arriving any day. How about you erect a wood fence and plant pyramidal cedars that will block your view and stop thinking about it?

Please send your questions and comments to lovecoach@hotmail.com or Miss Lonelyhearts c/o the Winnipeg Free Press, 1355 Mountain Ave., Winnipeg, MB, R2X 3B6

Miss Lonelyhearts
Advice Columnist

   Read full biography