Caught.

There should be a photo here of a municipal official wandering around our yard without having announced his arrival. He helped himself to walking on my still curing concrete walkway, and snooped about without even knocking on the door first.

Of course, trespass laws do not apply to by-law enforcement officers.

There's no point in being quiet about it anymore.
We didn't apply for a building permit to make the schoolhouse legal.
The by-law enforcer came by today and has seen everything.

Now all of you good citizens out there who think I should have toed the line to begin with, can carry on following bureaucratic rules and regulations.
I refuse to jump through hoops for the sake of satisfying the inane desires of a bloated and misdirected civil bureaucracy.


I understand that rules need to be made to keep your neighbour from building on your property,
but applying regulation in shotgun fashion with no discretion fosters an enforcement system that is a loyal tool of authority.

My only offence is not filling out the paperwork, and the paperwork,
and the paperwork.
The fee is minimal; that wasn't my reason.
I don't want the supervision.
We don't conform, and neither does our lifestyle.
So whenever we don't meet the criteria for normal people living normal lives,
we find ourselves at odds with the establishment.


We certainly have not filed for every permit out there for everything that we do.
I understand the importance of our safety, our clean drinking water, our effective sewage system, the sensitive nature of our creek and wetlands.
I know where the property lines are even though there is no formal survey.
In fact, the requirements of the building permit include providing a site survey of the property lines and building locations.
I could make it all up and there would be no reference to prove me wrong.


Now I will have to draw up a site plan.
I will also need to draw a building plan.
Why?
Even though the official was here, everything needs to be on file.


It is a great deal of time and money wasted on nothing.
And don't give me the old slippery slope argument.
That has already happened, but in the direction of a runaway civil oversight system that behaves like a school hall prefect.


Who is developing renewable energy for the municipality?
Who is implementing a food production strategy?
Who is working to eliminate poverty?
No one.
They're too busy handing out tickets for dogs with no licence,
neighbours who like loud music,
and smoky outdoor boilers,
God help us if they ever try to enforce the lawn care by-laws here.


I am not upset that I didn't get a permit in the first place.
I am not upset that I got caught.
What disturbs me is that someone felt it was their civic duty to ensure that we conform to the letter of the law.
Ask me if there is anything that I am afraid of and I will tell you that it is those people.
Those people who are the mindless foot soldiers of the state;
willing to do it's bidding without pause for thought.


All I want is a little schoolhouse.
All they want is for me to conform.