| I’ve always been careful what thoughts I allow into the universe because of a sneaking suspicion that something out there has a strange sense of humour and delights in messing with me. But sometimes I forget.Which brings me to the last issue’s brief excursion into the subject of “red tape”. It was probably inevitable that I would be offered the position of building inspector for the Town of Gibsons, almost as if I was being challenged to put up or shut up. Of course it’s never as easy as it seems from the outside. As I accepted the position I recalled talking to a councillor in Sechelt who admitted that once in office it was actually really difficult to make changes due to all the back stories that had to be taken into account. And so it is for me.The problem is that every job has a history to it and almost everyone tries to improve things so that as the years go by layers of internal bureaucracy form which solidify like sedimentary rock until you need explosives to get rid of them. But the thing that really surprised me was how efficient things actually were despite this. People would come in and have their questions answered and their permits issued in a day or so and all in all I couldn’t see what the citizenry would have to complain about. A period of intense navel gazing followed (that sound wasn’t snoring; it was my version of “Om”). The course of action I decided upon was to not touch anything for at least six months then start dismantling little pieces at a time and see what happened. The law of unintended consequences applies to everything and I’ve never been a great one for change just for the sake of change. So the objective is to simplify everything to the point that I do almost nothing and no one notices!It seems to me that as a society we look to various levels of government to provide structure to our society and prevent others from disrupting our lives with fences that are too high and sheds that are too close to the property line (my most popular complaints).
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But when it comes to doing whatever we want, many of us feel aggrieved that others have the power to say no to us or try to modify our plans so they at least fit in with the community’s bigger picture. Worse, we feel that we are entitled to modify our neighbour’s activities and that if we can’t, then there should be a law to compel him. I see this playing out on a daily basis and it’s reassuring to see how most projects actually get through without too much hassle. However, there are always those that impinge on one neighbour too many. The really ugly ones pit those who feel that it’s their property and they should be able to develop it, against those who resist development at all costs and feel that property rights should be extinguished, preferably with someone else’s money. The everlasting debate over Gospel Rock is a typical case in point and while I’m smart enough to stay out of that minefield, I must say that you need the wisdom of Solomon and the patience of a Saint to attempt a fair resolution. The last time I saw so much vitriol was watching the Republicans and Democrats “debate” social justice issues in the USA. So as I settle into my new job I am coming to the realisation that when we talk about “red tape” we don’t really mean the process of permits and reviews because these are remarkably efficient, especially when compared to other jurisdictions on the mainland. The problem is being allowed to do what we want and that’s a political problem, not an administrative one. Which is why we elect our representatives and if we are unhappy with things then we should run for office and find out how many share our views. Good luck with that.
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