This Canada

I do so love this silly old place.

Today the BC Supreme Court ordered a family in Vancouver to tear down their kids' tree house. They had refused to comply with a City of Vancouver order to get rid of it. They now have ninety days to remove it, and both Mom and Dad were fined, $250 each.

The couple had applied for a "developmental variance" (do you need these for bird houses too?) but were turned down flat because it had a "tree fort front" (and back, I presume). Their next-door neighbour had complained to the city. The family had tried to accommodate the neighbour (no pun intended) but no luck.

The two defendants argued that a building permit should not be required because the word "structure" in the applicable city by-law was vague. The learned judge disagreed.

I had a tree house once. My old man put it together out of scrap wood. But Vancouver being Vancouver, this one cost $2000. The couple are planning to auction it off for a children's charity.

In other news, a movement is building in Shediac, New Brunswick, to free a century-old lobster from a local fish market. The lobster, too, is to be auctioned off. The high bid so far is $3500.

Did I happen to mention that I love Canada?