Editor:
Re: Sewer extension fees from the City of Burnaby
I am a homeowner on Capitol Hill in Burnaby and have been for decades. I am not a developer or realtor, just a person who quietly pays my taxes and mortgage and expects to be treated in a similarly reasonable manner.
The question of whether individual property owners should pay for infrastructure which the city is mandated to provide is a separate issue which has reasonable arguments on both sides.
The issue which has caused me consternation is that the City of Burnaby levied a $30,000 fee against my home without notifying me, then begins charging me interest on what is owed - again without notifying me. Insult to injury, after the fact they pass a bylaw (13722) making this retroactively enforceable - again without notifying me.
Yes, I have equity in my home. No, I can’t afford to fight a legal battle with the city. I am gobsmacked that this process, supported by an elected council, could occur in a post-feudal democracy.
The irony is, had I been notified and not treated in a surreptitious manner I would have probably sought my own financing and paid the bill. All I can do now is vote in the next civic election and hope for reasonable women and men to be elected so that I - and all Burnaby homeowners - may be treated in a reasonable manner.
Tony Zanatta, Burnaby
