FILE UNDER: NANNY STATE

A resident of Corner Brook, Newfoundland, who was only trying to be a good neighbour, found himself on the wrong side of the law recently. Pat Hickey owns a riding lawn tractor with a snow-blower attachment. This winter he has taken to clearing the driveways of 10 neighbours who live along his quiet residential street. His crime? According to municipal authorities it is illegal to "operate a recreational vehicle on a city street".

Now a logical person would think that this city bylaw is clearly aimed at preventing residents from driving an ATV or perhaps in the winter months a snowmobile along a roadway and getting into a collision with another vehicle or a pedestrian. That seems reasonable. I'm not sure in what world a snow blower is considered a "recreational vehicle" but apparently in some nanny-state city councillors mind there is a serious problem with irresponsible snow blowing in the town of Corner Brook. They also get a lot of snow in this part of Canada. More then you can shovel, and lots of people own snowblower attachments for thier lawn tractors. However, once again, I don't think the word "logical" was ever part of this debate.

Hickey has been ticketed by the city and ordered to cease driving his snowblower on the street when moving from house to house clearing the driveways of his elderly neighbours. City authorities have said he is free to "push or pull" his snowblower while on the city streets, but any driving of the snowblower will result in further charges. Clearly the most efficient way to move a motorized piece of equipment that weighs close to a thousand pounds is by pushing it by hand through 3 feet of snow.

HGTV CASTING

Apparently HGTV is casting for a new reality TV show about neighbour disputes. If you are interested in airing your dirty laundry on national television you can check out the Reality Wanted website.

ENERGY CHALLENGE

A very cool little project is underway in the Puget Sound area of Washington State. The West Coast has always had the reputation of being a bit more ecologically progressive so hopefully something similar will eventually spread Eastward. The program currently being tested among 40,000 residents by Puget Sound Energy allows you to track and compare your power consumption to that of of your neighbours in order to evaluate your own conservation efforts and your homes energy efficiency.

No personal details or specifics are released, so its not like you can use the data to determine if the guy next door is running a Hydroponic operation in his basement. What you do get is a tool that allows homeowners to compare their own energy consumption against an average based on 100 similar sized homes in the vicinty. Running above average? Turn down the heat a notch or remember turn off the lights, then compare again. The best part is that if everybody starts paying attention to their own energy use, and keeps trying to get "below the average", the average drops. Even more energy is saved as everybody tries even harder to leave a smaller carbon footprint.

EDMONTON NEIGHBOUR AWARD

Growing up in Calgary, Alberta the city of Edmonton was our arch-rival. The joke used to be, "What do you call a pretty girl in Edmonton?" A tourist. Of course they had similar jokes about Calgary. Anyway, I digress...

The city of Edmonton is currently holding nominations for its "Good Neighbour Awards". Citizens are encouraged to nominate someone who makes a difference in their neighbourhood. There is no prize money involved, just some recognition, a nice certificate suitable for framing, and your picture and story posted on the Good Neighbour section of the City of Edmonton website.

The city even has implemented what they call 'Good Neighbour Postcards', a way to formally thank a neighbour for an act of kindness. The postcards are available at city libraries, police stations, and recreation centers.

It is such a simple idea, but one that many cities have not implemented, or at least not as well. As their website puts it, it is all about "recognizing the small daily gentures and actions we sometimes take for granted that enhance the fabric of our lives." Simple stuff, really. It is a shame more municipalities don't take their cue from cities like Edmonton who have managed to implement a simple but very effective program on a shoestring budget.

I'll leave you with some more Edmonton jokes:

Q: What is the best thing to come out of Edmonton?
A: Highway #2 South

Q: What do you get when you cross a pig with an Edmontonian?
A: Nothing, even a pig has some standards.

Q: Why do Edmontonians cheer for the Oilers?
A: They prefer the Oilers over professional hockey.

Q: Whats the best defense when fighting an Edmontonian?
A: Soap

I HAD MY SUSPICIONS

Great picture showed up yesterday of Canadian Prime Minister Stephen Harper demonstrating his marching skills at the Quebec Winter Carnival. I don't recall any Canadian leader in recent years who has worse luck with unflattering pictures. Now I've had my suspicions about the true political leanings Harper for some time. The goose stepping of carnival mascot Bonhomme came as a bit of a surprise however. Perhaps he was born in Vichy?

WHO IS THE REAL A--HOLE?

The biggest neighbour story percolating thru the media right now has to be the ongoing stupidity about Ashton Kutcher and his neighbour, some screenwriter that nobody has ever heard of.

It all started with Aston went on a rant Thursday about construction noise at 7:30am. The trouble is, he recorded and broadcast his rant over Twitter and posted video online. As it turns out most folks were not as supportive as I guess he thought they would be. He probably should have also checked local construction noise regulations, because it has since been confirmed local bylaws allow for construction to occur anytime after 7am and all the necessary permits were in place.

The next step was the backtrack, claiming it was all a joke. When that didn't work out as intended Ashton finally stepped up to the plate and apologized for calling his neighbour a "dickw--d a--hole" and "a--clown" and promised to be more tolerant in the future. It seems the neighbour was subject to some serious and long term construction noise from their side of the fence recently due to a $3,000,000 renovation and didn't bat an eyelash.

Word of advice? Keep your mouth shut and buy some earplugs. While this story only hit the airwaves due to the celebrity status of the participants similar conflicts (perhaps sans the video rant) erupt between neighbours all the time. It is very easy to justify the construction noise when it is the leaky roof on your house being repaired. It becomes critically important to step back and look at actions from the perspective of a bystander.

For example, its a beautiful Saturday and you head out into your backyard with the intention to mow the lawn. You notice your neighbour next door is just sitting down on their patio for a meal with their family. Stop and think. Do you really need to mow the lawn at that minute? Can it wait an hour or until tomorrow? Trust me your neighbour will appreciate it.