Rhino’s Ramblings - Worst Article Ever Written

By Robert Thomas Opinion/Commentary

It came in the online comments that an article I had written about the review going on down at the City of Moose Jaw’s Planning Department was the worst thing I’ve ever written.

I had people come up to me to say they feel sorry for me and it must be tough to see such stuff.

In reality none of it bugs me. I simply go out and seek the truth about issues pertinent to Moose Jaw and readers can like it or hate it.

I learnt long ago in Moscow that they either hate you and you’re expecting to end up missing for six weeks and then turn in the river OR they love you and they’re ready to give you a champagne and caviar parade through Red Square.

It’s just the nature of the business.

With that said the problems facing the Planning Department are not just impacting large property developers. It’s impacting little people. The everyday homeowner that wants to renovate or expand their homes and are in a permit nightmare not of their making.

The following is one of the letters I received about the problems at the Planning Department. The letter’s text is in bold.

It’s real and it’s impacting everyday people.

“Thank you for writing your article about the Planning Department being under review.

IIt may or may not be over as far as the City is concerned, but for regular middle-class people taking out loans for renovations while obtaining building permits, we’re still facing uncertainty and financial stress.

Only to find out that we’ve been doing everything by the book, yet we get screwed over by the City because this building official closed our permit on us before we were able to complete the work. Now we’re in financial trouble because of it.

So, thank you for highlighting what’s actually going on. The important people likely don’t care, but it hurts the average citizen when these errors end up costing us.

For the government to say it’s the homeowner’s responsibility to know what they’re supposed to be doing… what about those of us who are doing all the right things, but it’s the building official who has no clue what they’re doing?”

I think that letter speaks for itself.