I was shocked when I read in the October 18 Advocate that Athabasca County is considering passing By-law 017-2016 re. temporary camping. My husband and I have been responsible landowners in this county for 45+ years. We take pride in our farm. We recycle, we compost, we haul our little bit of trash to the waste management centre and pay to deposit it there.
We have three grown children, each of whom owns an RV which sits on our farm. When they and our grandchildren visit, they often use these RVs. When their holding tanks are full, they hook on and take them to the dumping station. I defy anyone to find “contamination” under or near their RVs. If the county believes that we will ask for (and I assume, pay for) their permission for us to host our family and limit the frequency and duration of their visits, they are living in a dreamland. NOT going to happen.
Personally, I have two theories about this: a) this is a (money-grabbing) project to create work for the county administration and by-law officer, or b) this is a knee-jerk reaction to someone’s complaint about their neighbour. If a) shame on the county if they cannot find something more important to spend their time and our money on. If b) they should deal with the offenders and leave the rest of us alone. What’s next? Someone running around to make sure no farmers step off their tractors and relieve themselves in their stubble fields? Perhaps they should bring cables and padlocks to make sure none of the old outhouses on our farms are in use? By the way, there is a bear and a couple of coyotes “contaminating” our fields EVERY DAY! Will we need a permit for this? Perhaps the county could send someone out to let them know they’ve overstayed their time limit? The county wants feedback? In a word – RIDICULOUS!
Linda Doroshenko
Athabasca, AB
