Cooler heads prevail as Town of Innisfil allows Halloween display to stay put
David Menzies reports on a dispute over a Halloween display in Innisfil, Ont., where cooler heads have prevailed after the town decided to allow the display to remain.
There are plenty of delightfully scary things on display during the Halloween season — from vampires and werewolves to zombies and jack-o’-lanterns.
But you know what’s really, really, really, scary? Bureaucrats and bylaw officers who can’t help themselves when it comes to interfering with the lives of citizens.
Case in point: there is a terrific haunted house display in Innisfil, Ont., at the corner of Vance Crescent and Anna Maria Avenue.
But alas, the Innisfil bylaw department received a single complaint about the structure. And according to homeowner Courtney Molnar, she was ordered to take down the display or she would receive a fine. Talk about How the Grinch Stole Halloween!
And why is Molnar’s display offside? The ostensible reason is that it blocks the view of motorists making turns out of Vance Crescent.
Last week, the town issued a statement, noting in part: “A town of Innisfil bylaw officer attended the residential property and observed that the structure appeared to obstruct the road view and requested that the tent be placed on the driveway of the property.”
The key word in that statement is “appeared.” And as the saying goes, “appearances can be deceiving.” Which is to say, when Rebel News paid a visit to Molnar’s home, we discovered that the sightlines of motorists were not blocked whatsoever when making turns from the crescent.
In any event, we reached out to Jane Cocking (she/her), a spokeswoman with the Town of Innisfil, who stated in part:
The Town did not ask them to remove the display. This is entirely untrue. I am not sure where you are getting this information from, but I can tell you it is entirely wrong.
Instead, they asked if the structure could be moved to the driveway so as not to impede sightlines at the intersection. The resident said this was not possible and by-law asked if the side walls of the structure could be raised to allow for clear sightlines for motorists and pedestrians.
This was agreed to by the resident… no fine has been issued, but the resident assured they would remove the display right after Halloween.
Whether Molnar was threatened with a fine would appear to be a matter of he said/she said. However, taking down the display from the front lawn and resurrecting it on the driveway would mean that the cars at the Molnar household would have to park on the crescent overnight — and likely receive parking tickets.
Regardless, perhaps due to a PR black eye, the town is turning a blind eye to the temporary display. That’s certainly a good thing.
Besides, aren’t there far more important issues for the town to tackle? Such as a homeless encampment located on Innisfil Beach Road — just a few klicks down the road from the Town of Innisfil’s headquarters?
David Menzies
Mission Specialist
David “The Menzoid” Menzies is the Rebel News "Mission Specialist." The Menzoid is equal parts outrageous and irreverent as he dares to ask the type of questions those in the Media Party would rather not ponder.
