Talk about getting caught between a rock and a hard place.
City hall found itself refereeing what was essentially a neighbour dispute on a normally quiet Cornwall street when the Vincent family built a huge rink, complete with boards, on their front lawn.
The family did the same thing last year, but some neighbours had had enough, and complained to the city about a bylaw contravention.
Cue the theatrics, because days before Christmas the family received an order mandating the removal of the rink’s boards.
The family leapt to social media, and posted images of the rink and the notice from the city hall, in hopes that they would receive some help and support.
Boy, did they ever…the rink issue became the talk of the town over Christmas.
Things finally came to a head this week when, after the Vincents refused to remove the boards by a Monday deadline, city crews began the process of removing them…just like they said they would.
It’s kind of a damned if you do, damned if you don’t situation for city hall.
If the municipality had left the boards in place, then the masses (at least the vocal ones who have reached out to us) would have been thrilled.
But the family was clearly breaking the rules, and had city hall let them off the hook it may have set a dangerous precedent that others looking to circumvent municipal bylaws could exploit.
So…the city played this one by the book. Ultimately the family felt the heat, and removed the boards with a group of volunteers Monday night after the city started the process with the removal of snow and ice surrounding the rink earlier in the day.
It’s unfortunate the city couldn’t find another compromise to assuage all parties. I really liked Coun. David Murphy’s idea of allowing the rink boards until winter’s end, with a strict warning that they had to be out in the spring, never to return.
It seems to me such a move would have given the family some breathing room, and would have satisfied the city’s bylaw people.
There was also the argument that the city could have been found liable if someone had been injured on the rink, or by a flying puck while walking by. I’m not sure such a scenario would be a slam dunk in court…if it came to pass at all. Lawyers would have certainly argued the Vincents, as the builders of the rink, be on the hook before anyone else.
All those sentiments are a matter for the coffee-shop quarterbacks now, because the boards are out.
It’s also quite clear, from this desk, that the Vincents weren’t prepared for the onslaught of publicity they received as a result of this issue. When I spoke with Laura Vincent Monday she looked like she’d been through the wringer. Her family, she said, felt much the same.
“We’re not public people,” she said. “We don’t like having our picture taken, let alone all this stuff.”
Most people would find themselves agreeing with her – talking to journalists every other day and having a family decision second-guessed across the city, and indeed the country, is not pleasant.
But it should be noted that the Vincents went public on their own. Laura posted images of the rink, and the notice from the city, on Facebook – before the issue went public via our initial report.
Unfortunately, sometimes these things have a way of getting away from you, before you realize what’s about to happen. I think that is what took place this time.
The facts, though, are indisputable. The rink boards broke the rules…the Vincents admit as much. I think where this thing went off the rails is when both sides began to dig in their heels.
Who dug the deepest, the quickest, is a matter of debate. But what is clear is the city gave the family time to remove the boards.
The response from the Vincents at a small rally on Boxing Day was the boards were going nowhere – which I’m sure was greeted with something akin to “Wanna bet?” at city hall.
That brought us to Monday, when the boards were finally removed. No one won, because we all lost on this one.
The Vincents are minus a pretty sweet rink, their neighbours have been vilified across Cornwall, others are pointing fingers at the couple for breaking the rules, city hall has taken it on the chin for being too tough and the story went national – sending a poor message to Canadians about all of us here in Fun City – which does few favours for us in the media biz who helped spread the story.
From this desk it appears the city, reluctantly, made the right decision – though I think a little more could have been done to salvage the outdoor hockey season this winter on Monaco Crescent.
