Editor:

I have spent a great deal of time and effort over the past several months in trying to help our city council to see the obvious dangers of the electrical inspection program and procedures which they have just passed without another thought.

And I gave them plenty to think about. Back in April, I attended a council meeting and delivered two pages of issues that I had with their proposal. Five of the points I made appeared to have caught the attention of council. And the program was sent back for clarification, revision and improvement based on those five issues.

Precious little change was made for the better. Instead, the fire chief decided to load the proposal with mind-numbing propaganda in pure red herring style, to simply hide the fact that they aren’t at all concerned about protecting the innocent.

Council has now turned a blind eye to all of my objections—including the ones raised that point out how this program obliterates our federally chartered rights.

All of my comments from both the April and July council meetings have been entered into the minutes for all to read. In response to my concerns about procedure, Coun. Derek Dang is quoted in The Richmond Review on July 15 to have said that “steps will be taken to minimize any potential harm to mistakenly targeted local homes.”

I have seen no steps taken with that issue in mind. And I invite Mr. Dang to clarify as to which steps he is referring have been or are being taken.

More so, Mr. Dang is also quoted to have said that “a police car will not be parked out in front of a house being inspected, to avoid unfairly stigmatizing the homeowner who may be perfectly innocent.”

The revised program still states that a marked police car will be across the street with the officer able to see the front door of the property as the inspectors request entry. This is the complete opposite of Mr. Dang’s promise made on record to the public.

On top of this, any bylaw enforcement officer may be appointed as an inspector for this program. Suffice it to say that I am again shocked and horrified.

The inspection program violates our federally chartered rights (according to B.C. Supreme Court ruling). And, as it does such, federal law renders the program and related bylaw unlawful and, therefore, invalid so as to have no force or effect. I feel that it is my patriotic duty to point out that it is indeed our right to explain such to any inspectors who might arrive at your residence with an expectation to carry out a warrantless search with the assistance of police, and that they may rightfully send the inspectors (and police) away and close the door.

As a result, I hope to see the program expenses continue to accrue while results quickly flatline.

I should hope that voters will look to council for an explanation of their all too irresponsible and shortsighted decisions as a group.

I know that I am certainly not the first to submit that our entire council is more than overdue to be wiped clean in favour of a fresh crew that shows the slightest interest in public accountability.

Paul Stoneman

Richmond