It's a nice idea, but good luck enforcing it.
In the wake of the civic precinct having been overrun by cute and cuddly bunnies, local politicians approved a bylaw last week that makes it a ticketable offence to abandon an animal in Delta.
The legislation makes sense to have on the books, but I think we'll be waiting a while before that first offender is fined.
I can't say for sure, but my guess is the people that abandon animals do so under the cover of darkness, likely far from the view of a municipal bylaw enforcement officer. They're not apt to walk to the middle of a busy park and announce their intentions, so the chance of catching them in the act is about as likely as an amicable resolution to the Southlands situation.
I'm sure civic types know that too, so the legislation is as much about awareness and deterrence as anything else.
Mind you, if they're really looking to scare someone straight on this issue, what about kicking the punishment up a notch and treating any culprits we can get our hands on like an abandoned rabbit?
In other words, we sterilize and relocate them.
I know, Delta's legal department just might have something to say about that idea.
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It takes a veteran politician to create a spin like that one.
Coun. Scott Hamilton, who is mulling over the idea of running for the Liberals in Delta North in next spring's provincial election, has been a solid member of Delta council for the last decade and would undoubtedly make a good MLA.
However, I had to chuckle when I read his comments with regards to a possible civic by-election. You see, Coun. Sylvia Bishop has already been acclaimed as the NDP candidate in Delta North, so if Hamilton runs for the Liberals, there's a mighty good chance there will be a vacancy on council following the provincial election.
Hamilton maintains there's going to be a by-election one way or another so he might as well join the race, somehow implying he has no control over things.
It's an attempt to put all the blame for a by-election on his potential opponent, but I'm not so sure the argument passes the logic test.
If Bishop wins, there's a by-election; if Bishop loses to a Liberal, there's no by-election, unless, of course, that Liberal happens to be Hamilton. From where I'm sitting, that means they'd both be exposing Delta taxpayers to the possibility of a costly by-election.
