Down at the west end of Ash, where it meets 18 Avenue, the very same violation of this bylaw infraction that Adriana Snashall speaks of was happening and had been going on for a very long time as what I assume was the Contractors Monster 5th Wheel trailer, that was clearly being lived in at the time for the construction of the Monster Home being built on the old orchard that was flattened to make way for Monster Home.
I told Adriana that there was a trailer at the end of the street being used in direct violation of the bylaw that she was accusing me of violating, she assure me she would check it out. I was duped into believing that she had any intention of driving down the street to the corner to the west to verify my claim.
I remember asking her if she drove in from the West, meaning that she would have had to drive right on past the violator on the SAME street. If she was aware of the giant fifth wheel trailer with all of it's sliders out for the entire summer and plugged into the power grid meaning that it was obviously being lived in during construction. This is what amounts to discrimination because she was aware, you could not be unaware this is a small town. It is impossible that the town bylaw officer would not drive right past that monster 5th wheel parked right on the corner of the property beside the road. Since she spent so much time driving down Ash last summer it would be impossible for her NOT to see the monster 5th wheel with all of its sliders extended and plugged into a huge hydro cord.
Worse yet, it is impossible for her NOT to be aware of this infraction, and how do I know this? Because this is a small town and News makes it across a small town faster than a tornado mowing down a trailer park. There is nothing else to do in a small town except gossiping, it is the natural clique of a small town, to deny that is the case is to tell lies to your friends.
Because Adriana knew about the Monster 5th Wheel just down the street, and she chose to ignore that obvious violator, this is what amounts to discrimination. My obvious question to the Town Council would be, "Why am I being targeted for abuse?"
Who lives in the house on the corner of Ash and 18th Avenue, is it a town councilor violating the town bylaws? Or a close friend of somebody on Town Council that it too high up the Totem pole to be charged with any bylaw infractions? These are legitimate questions for a town bylaw officer that is drunk on a power trip.
Adriana Snashall told me that I was Not Allowed to drive my motorhome into Creston, and that if I did and she determined that I needed to rest in my RV while maintaining my property that she would bury me in fines and penalties in the THOUSANDS of dollars. This is the first time in my life that I have been threatened with financial ruin by a town bureaucrat in any city in Canada.
Even 2 days ago in my discussion with Adriana, I told her of the medical issues that I have faced during this Pandemic that has kept me from traveling. She is fully aware that I am permanently disabled, and told me flat out that she nor the town has any obligation to NOT harass, intimidate and threaten a resident with financial bankruptcy because I am permanently disabled. When I "Hit the Wall" metaphorically when performing tasks about the property that I paid for and pay the taxes on, that is it because my Chronic Pain takes over and I become overwhelmed with fatigue.
What is the #1 complication for Chronic Pain sufferers? Chronic fatigue is the correct answer. I explained to Adriana that this is the reason I absolutely NEED the motorhome on site when I am there because when I fatigue, that is it, I need to lay down ASAP. It just something that is symptomatic of my Spinal Injury and my medical condition overall.
When you suffer from Chronic Pain you are the tail being wagged by the dog named Pain and fatigue. You do not get to choose when Chronic Pain from a failed Spinal Fusion puts you out of commission and you need to lie down and rest immediately. I explained this to Adriana and she acknowledged that she understood my condition. As a result I told her that she needs to make accomodations for my medical condition, she does not have a wide open license to abuse a disabled person, no matter who is directing her to abuse me.
I chose the town of Creston as my retirement home, clearly I made a fatal mistake in choosing to live here because the treatment from the town has been horrific in the midst of a Pandemic. You as a town council need to make allowances for the Pandemic and for the natural implied protection of the Human Rights for severely disabled persons living in your town.
The town website talks about their age inclusion program. Well to be honest, my experience with the town was amicable until last summer during the worst Public Health Crisis in 100 years. As I told Adriana during one of our many discussions where she came by to consistently harass me, she could see my condition and I did as much as I possible could each day in order to satisfy the never ending stream of complaints form one of my Nosy Parker neighbors that insists on phoning the Town office every second day for the specific purpose of of distressing a newcomer to town that only wants to build a home in a sustainable community. My only objectives are to supervise and help out when I can with the design, construction and supervision of my own home that will include all of the physical design features that my medical condition will require now and in the future.
As a patient that has experienced a serious injury to his Spinal Column, that the IME Spinal Orthopaedic Surgeon told us over 3 years ago, "This man will never work another day in his life." As a Severely disabled person, that has obviously mistakenly chose the WRONG Town to live in for my retirement because the Town of Creston does NOT adhere to any of the principles that they claim to champion in the Age-friendly Action Plan. Here are their guiding principles:
Age-friendly Desired Outcomes from Cultivating Creston.
1. There is a strong sense of community and belonging in Creston, where everyone feels connected, respected and included.
Sorry, but I do not feel like I belong when the Town Bylaw officer threatens to bury me in a mountain of fines and penalties. It is really hard to feel connected when the welcoming committee is Donald Trump disguised as a woman.
2. Community members feel safe and their needs are met, including access to housing, nutritious local food, meaningful social interactions, and recreation and leisure pursuits.
I do not feel safe in this community because 1 or more of my neighbors wants to throw up as many roadblocks to me building a house here, because they have Cronies on Council. I have never spoken a mean word to any neighbor since I bought my property, yet somebody on my street has targeted me for Financial Ruin by their Proxy the Town of Creston.
I do not feel welcome or valued in this town because somebody has decided to use the Town as a giant Anvil to drop on my dreams of building my forever retirement home here. The town talks about supporting alternative housing projects.
They plan to achieve this with threats of financial ruin and I have not even started, while the guy down the street lived in his 5 th Wheel for over a year while the Town sat by and did nothing. When you are targeted and discriminated against, it is really hard to feel valued or respected, and inclusion is a word that I definitely would not use to describe this Town to any human.
3. Creston is an accessible community, where all ages are valued, they have
opportunities to participate, and there are meaningful connections between the
generations.
Yeah, threatening a disabled Senior with financial ruin is something that you forgot to include in your pamphlet promoting this town. I feel exposed to threats of having my savings erased by a bureaucrat that is threatening me with Thousands in fines if I bring my motor home back to Creston.
What is the leading issue for all political leaders during this past election cycle?
Housing, affordable housing, ACCESS to sustainable housing, that is the reason that I moved to Creston. I could have moved to a thousand other small towns across this great nation, but I mistakenly chose the wrong valley.
When you objectively look at the genesis of any law, or in this case a bylaw, you need to look back to the Spirit of the law that was created and WHY it was created, what was the basis of this law and what was the original INTENT of the creators of this legislation. Or was it the lawmakers intent to simply copy and paste this Law because it was fashionable or a Law that was being promoted by Land Developers at the time with no regard for the actual residents of the Town? If the Town bylaw enforcement is not able to definitely bring up the specific reasons that Town officials created the Law, then does that Law really have any validity other than to please a small clique of developers and Town officials as directed by their cronies? It is a valid question.
Adriana told me that she is from Vancouver, so I replied, "You and your friends are the ones who caused the Housing Crisis in Vancouver." And it is true, the City of Van is overrun with armies of homeless people, like most major cities because affordable housing has been bulldozed and Gentrified, pushing thousands into the streets across Canada.
I already have over $200,000 invested in the property, equipment, tools and construction materials that I have moved here in the last 2 years. If it becomes necessary, I will abandon this foolish venture and sell the vehicles, the construction materials and put the money into moving to a town that has a real welcome mat, not one that make you feel like a door mat. You know, the kind of mat that gets stepped all over.
I need workable solutions to getting this house built, I just spent the last 2 days consulting with Human Rights lawyers here in Alberta, the kind that work in B.C., and it is taking time away from my move and my property maintenance duties in Creston. I need cooperation from the town, and not a giant Financial HAMMER hanging over my head with promises to hammer me with thousands of dollars in fines. For what? To kill a retirement dream for a disabled person. If that is the intention of the Town, then this really puts the Ideals that this town promotes on the Internet in a different light, and is beyond the pale is my opinion.
When you are confronted by a bureaucracy that promotes punishment over communication and working with the Newcomers towards reaching their potential and their retirement goals, then you are very unlikely to be able to attract new people to fill in for retirees in this community is my opinion.
The town has lost sight of their stated goals on their website, and should start over because your approach is not working is my opinion.
I was looking for a good town when I found this one, and I can find another.
