Removing gravel from back alley for personal use

[Jordan!]

Mind your business. damn

[Sliver]

Originally Posted by Jordan!

Mind your business. damn

It is your business to keep your property up to the standard of your neighbours' properties.

[Wormius]

Originally Posted by lazypucker

Question - if a neighbour's dog keeps barking all-day all-night non-stop, can I do anything about it? I talked to the owner and he was like "I can't tell the dog to stop barking, he barks whenever he feels like it..."

I have seen some funny 311 complaints on the app, centered over somebody’s house, with the comment “shut your f’ing dog up”.

[DoubleF]

I used to live by a metal scrapper. I used to also chat him up to be friendly to make it less awkward in case I felt like I needed to have a conversation with him about his activities in the future. I would also give him things I knew he would want that I didn't need (mainly rinsed bottles and cans, but occasionally I would ask him about other usable stuff and he'd accept).

If initial discussions failed with him though, my plan always was to be upfront about trying to co-exist and not wanting to call bylaw to enforce and I would be more than happy to strike up a win-win deal to make both parties happy. For instance, promising to deliver rinsed and not gross cans/bottles and other stuff they may like that are essentially valueless to you if they stay tucked off and away to the side is a huge win win.

I once also had to have a chat with them about vehicles blocking my garage/the back alley when they were loading stuff. I gave him an old pack of Belmont cigs (I quit and it was just sitting around) as thanks. The guy stared at it, sniffed it and said he was going to save it for special occasions because it smelled so good. From that day forth until I moved, if there was a vehicle blocking my garage and my garage door opened, the guy would rush out of his home within a minute and move/apologize.

My neighbors, wife and in-laws were all terrified of the guy. I just felt it was the card he was dealt and as long as he was tucked off to the side and we could coexist, no need to start anything. I've always felt respect is a best approach.

When I lived downtown near Sheldon Chumir, I found addressing homeless people respectfully as "collectors" (ie: "Hey man! Are you a collector? Do you collect recyclables like cans and bottles?) often got them to leave and loiter elsewhere with nary a fuss (Hey, sorry man. Can you hang out else where? I don't care, but I don't want another person to call bylaw on you or anything). The strange thing is that I don't believe I ever gave the same person a bag of recyclables more than once, even though I would recognize the faces of some of them in the community later on. I think they were more than happy to be treated with respect and the occasional acknowledgement by me waving to them or nodding at them. Some of the exchanges were pretty funny. It was kinda upsetting that this dynamic changed significantly after I moved from that apartment and the whole SIS debacle began.

[Radio]

I have taken gravel from the alley before. Not wheel barrows full mind you but buckets or a few shovels full. I have also emptied left over gravel from bigger projects into the alley.

[flamesfever]

A long time ago a Sicilian family moved next door. They did something that annoyed me and I went over to confront the man of the house. My first words must have seemed over confrontational, as I sensed his negative reaction. I immediately changed my approach by saying, "We are going to live side by side for some time, and if there is something that you are doing that pisses me off, I will come and look you in the eye and we can discuss it...and I expect the same from you". He said, "We can do it that way, or you can come over and put a gun to my head". We have been good friends ever since.

I grew up with Sicilian friends in my youth, and I knew how to deal with them. They either love you or won't give you the time of day.

I think dealing with a strong element of respect is the right approach

[zamler]

Free gravel PM me for details.


All PMs will be ignored

[Jiri Hrdina]

Originally Posted by Radio

I have taken gravel from the alley before. Not wheel barrows full mind you but buckets or a few shovels full. I have also emptied left over gravel from bigger projects into the alley.

Take a rock
Leave a rock
Everyone wins

[bob-loblaw]

I live in a new subdivision. I was coming home on Tuesday night around 9:00 PM. There was an old lady with a Rubbermaid container stealing some gravel from the new, fenced off playground equipment that hasn't even opened yet.

That being said, there's five empty lots across from my house and a bunch of gravel that's been sitting there for about eight months. I could use a few wheel barrows of the stuff, but I'm going to ask the area foreman first. He already told me it's not a problem to throw stuff in the garbage bins on front of new homes under construction. Somehow that felt like getting a golden ticket.

[Corral]

Originally Posted by RogerWilco

This is incorrect, bylaw officers start to implement fines when they wont stop. I tried to write a ticket once on a napkin, but my neighbour wouldn't pay it.

You missed the point. Those tickets will only escalate the sourness and you better be squeaky clean once you go down the snitch path

[PepsiFree]

Originally Posted by Corral

You missed the point. Those tickets will only escalate the sourness and you better be squeaky clean once you go down the snitch path

Except if you call bylaw without ever talking to them in the first place, it never comes back to you. Win win win.

[Iggy_12]

Update for those following! Since I took those pictures he hasnt been parked in the alley for any time. I did not call 311 and saw his truck parked on the street in front of his house when i passed by. Someone else must have complained before me.

The yard on the other hand is a complete and utter disaster but hes not directly behind me so that doesnt bother me much, i just want to be able to comfortably drive by his property to get to my garage which for the past couple days has been accomplished.

It could be that hes taking a few days off from scrapping I will have to monitor but as long as the threats of killing my dogs and calling my GF the C-word stops im quite content.

thanks to the poster suggesting calling the non emergency CPS line, did that simply to have it on file the threats that were said in case something in the future arises.

[Iggy_12]

Originally Posted by Jordan!

Mind your business. damn

LOL how ignorant are you? Maybe you're the neighbor? Ill break multiple bylaws in your alley then when you ask me to move ill threaten your GF and dogs then tell you to mind your business.

[monkeyman]

Originally Posted by Iggy_12

Someone else must have complained before me.

Neighbours to do list:

1. Wait until I see bad neighbour in a confrontation with a fellow neighbour.
2. Call 311 to rat out bad neighbour.
3. Quickly follow up with the bad neighbour and ask him what happened.
4. Support his theory that it must have been the neighbour he had the confrontation with.
5. Sit back and watch what happens next.

[PepsiFree]

Originally Posted by Iggy_12

LOL how ignorant are you? Maybe you're the neighbor? Ill break multiple bylaws in your alley then when you ask me to move ill threaten your GF and dogs then tell you to mind your business.

He's the same guy who polishes his guns when a protest is nearby. I wouldn't worry about taking his neighbourly advice that seriously.

[Reggie28]

Has anyone ever been on the receiving end of a long grass complaint? How is it enforced, bylaw comes and gives you a warning and a timeline to deal with it? If a ticket is issued, will it go straight to the owner (landlord)?

Three houses across the road have grass that's ready for the swather. I believe at least two are rentals and the third has multigenerational occupants who just don’t care about the yard.

I’m thinking about calling in and snitching, but I’m hoping the enforcement is on the landlords. The message being, if you are going to own residential rental properties, look after them.

[DoubleF]

Originally Posted by Iggy_12

Update for those following! Since I took those pictures he hasnt been parked in the alley for any time. I did not call 311 and saw his truck parked on the street in front of his house when i passed by. Someone else must have complained before me.

The yard on the other hand is a complete and utter disaster but hes not directly behind me so that doesnt bother me much, i just want to be able to comfortably drive by his property to get to my garage which for the past couple days has been accomplished.

It could be that hes taking a few days off from scrapping I will have to monitor but as long as the threats of killing my dogs and calling my GF the C-word stops im quite content.

thanks to the poster suggesting calling the non emergency CPS line, did that simply to have it on file the threats that were said in case something in the future arises.

Nice. Congrats. The dude threatening you is no good, but I'm glad it all worked out for you.

One of the comments I see and I find kinda funny is about calling bylaw. If you are upfront and chat with the guy and say you're trying to avoid bylaw, it actually helps you. You can always call, deny you called and then you can follow up by saying, "What's the point in me revealing my face to you and then calling bylaw when I could have stayed anonymous and snitched on you? It's obviously not me."

When I lived by Chumir, there was a time where I spoke with a guy who threatened me. Someone elsewhere yelled out, "No man, he's cool!" and the guy immediately became apologetic.

When I lived by the scrapper, in the beginning there would be a few guys that are all defensive about how they're just trying to making a living and ignoring the fact they were blocking the alleyway. After building the relationship with the scrapper ("W"), "W" would actually yell at those guys and be like, "No, no. That man is our brother!" (Jamaican accent) and afterwards, I basically never heard from anyone.

About a year ago, when some vagrant(s?) left trash and possessions in my yard (bedding, blankets, clothing, food, bags etc.), I asked him about it and he told me that the people who visited him knew not to do that kind of thing nearby (he didn't want trouble). He even cleaned it up for me (something about how I shouldn't touch that dirty stuff because he knew I had a baby, but for him it's whatever) and also promised to keep an eye out and chase away anyone who might do something like that again. I gave him a bottle of Crown Royal that no one had touched in my home for over a year as thanks.

My wife used to worry about living close to that scrapper, but I always replied to her that I felt that by having him on our side, he was actually protecting us from those we actually needed to worry about. I still feel that is true.

Originally Posted by Reggie28

Has anyone ever been on the receiving end of a long grass complaint? How is it enforced, bylaw comes and gives you a warning and a timeline to deal with it? If a ticket is issued, will it go straight to the owner (landlord)?

Three houses across the road have grass that's ready for the swather. I believe at least two are rentals and the third has multigenerational occupants who just don’t care about the yard.

I’m thinking about calling in and snitching, but I’m hoping the enforcement is on the landlords. The message being, if you are going to own residential rental properties, look after them.

I don't know about long grass bylaw specifically, but I know a friend called bylaw on a neighbor about parking issues (neighbor legit was a dick who did variations of blocking AND parking on my friend's driveway) and bylaw sent someone to the home to chat. That would be my assumption of what happens with a long grass complaint.

[Iggy_12]

Originally Posted by monkeyman

Neighbours to do list:

1. Wait until I see bad neighbour in a confrontation with a fellow neighbour.
2. Call 311 to rat out bad neighbour.
3. Quickly follow up with the bad neighbour and ask him what happened.
4. Support his theory that it must have been the neighbour he had the confrontation with.
5. Sit back and watch what happens next.

Haha this actually made me laugh, but you're completely right, the problem at least for now seems resolved but for sure hes gonna think its me. Guess i will be checking my lawn for the next couple weeks for things that can kill my dogs

[OMG!WTF!]

Honestly I feel like you should get him before he gets you. I'd leave a poisoned 4 pack of Mike's Hard Lemonade out in his yard. I'm really quite amazed at the reasoned and non-psychotic responses in this thread. That is not my forte.

[monkeyman]

Originally Posted by Iggy_12

Haha this actually made me laugh, but you're completely right, the problem at least for now seems resolved but for sure hes gonna think its me. Guess i will be checking my lawn for the next couple weeks for things that can kill my dogs

I'm sure you'll be ok, but it never hurts to extra vigilant. I'm always worried about my dogs too.
Most people want to feel like they matter and they're being heard, so just be civil and don't give him reason to think you ratted him out.
It's also possible that nobody did, maybe your conversation made him think.