Compassion Farm - Leaving Lantzville

This is DISGRACEFUL that anyone can do this to another citizen with apparent impunity.

Leaving Lantzville and larger issues

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Dirk Becker	Jun 1 (1 day ago)
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Hello folks,

Just so you know!

Here is the letter we just sent to council:

Yours in service,
Dirk Becker

www.dirkbecker.ca
www.synergymag.ca

Check out our past radio shows...
"Heart and Mind: Tools for Change"
http://www.synergymag.ca/radio-heart-and-mind-tools-for-change/

Begin forwarded message:

From: Nicole Shaw <nic@synergymag.ca>

Date: May 31, 2014 4:08:55 PM PDT

To: Jack de Jong <Jackdejong@shaw.ca>, Andrew Mostad <andrewmostad@gmail.com>, Joe Bratkowski <joebratkowski@shaw.ca>, grahamsavage@shaw.ca, Brian Dempsey <bdempsey@telus.net>, Jenny Millbank <jpmillbank@shaw.ca>

Cc: Twyla Graff <twyla@lantzville.ca>, Fred Spears <spears@lantzville.ca>, Meredith Seeton <Meredith@lantzville.ca>

Subject: Leaving Lantzville and larger issues

Dear Mayor de Jong and council.

We have now moved away from Lantzville. 

At the beginning of this week, we received the letter (postmarked last month - ?) from your lawyer informing us of the District proceeding with an injunction against us to force compliance -- despite my having emailed you what we have been dealing with for the past five years with the Brash's (what the police characterize as) "borderline criminal behaviour". The fence has brought us immense relief from the invasive, aggressive and even violent harassment from the Brash's. Quite some time back we stated that we'd be happy to reduce the height of the taller section if they could prove for a year that they could stop their behaviour. They did not stop.

DOL's dogged pursuit of us over the past few years -- this campaign of intimidation and selective enforcement -- has been a terrible example of what happens when the political ambitions of some, compel them to go against the wishes of the tax payer and the clear mandate they gave in the last election. Led by the Haimes, with the Brash's as their henchmen, this campaign has now successfully forced us out of the community.

This began over 3.5 yrs ago, from citing our gardens as "unsightly premises" and "filth", to then demanding we stop "all agricultural activity" to ordering VIHA, Ministry of Environment and Ministry of Agriculture to inspect our property, to pursuing us for selling rainbarrels, then our chicken coop, etc. Despite us signing three different agreements, you have continued this campaign. You, Council, have made good on each of Brash's threats to us... of which there were more... so we realized it would never end. And despite us putting our house and property up for sell, you then came after us for our fence. And now, despite SELLING our home and property, you the Councillors of the District of Lantzville, continue. 

On Thursday, May 29th, the last day we had possession of the house, we cut the fence down to six feet (and lower in areas), measuring from our side of the property line. 

When we were well over half way along, Brash Junior -- Ronnie Brash -- came home and began yelling at Dirk. Dirk was balanced on a ladder, on uneven ground sawing. He shut off the chainsaw to hear and Ronnie Brash demanded he clean up the pieces that had fallen on their side of the fence. Dirk reminded them that the last time he stepped a foot on their side of the line while building the fence, that they called the police citing his building the fence as "trespassing". Ronnie Brash then began cursing at high volumes, picked up a piece of lumber, slowly took aim then whipped it at Dirk's head. I happened to look up from getting my camera at the moment Dirk's head and shoulders jerked out of the way and the wood hit me squarely. I called the police, they attended and are following up with charging him for assault.

We then completed lowering the fence. As we drove away, Jim Brash was throwing the pieces of wood over to our side of the fence. We came back a few hours later to find out that a friend of ours had caught Brash red-handed, up on a ladder with his own chainsaw, sawing OUR fence even lower. I again called the police, and they attended the scene and added charges of mischief to the existing assault charges. 

As we have stated in previous letters, we have no doubt that Council's campaign of selective enforcement, making good on many threats Brash has screamed at us over the years, has encouraged and emboldened the Brash family to acts of harassment (many are in the criminal code) and acts of violence. Their sense of entitlement and violent behaviour has, essentially, been rewarded, time and again, by the District of Lantzville and we think that is shameful. 

In future, for the sake of the community, if you, our elected representatives, ever come across a chronic complainer targeting numerous complaints against one residence for bylaw infractions, please do some proper investigation to find out what the real problem is before squandering over $100,000 in tax payer money. Seek advice from other municipalities to see how they handle situations when it becomes obvious that the complainer has a personal issue.  

This chapter of our lives has been a nightmare that we hope we are now done with. 

Nicole Shaw and Dirk Becker