Open letter to EMCON services

This Wednesday at approximately 12:30 the large yellow grader with the mower-arm attachment and the preceding safety truck came down Taylor Bay Road towards our street.

When I approached the safety truck to notify the driver that our street has been mowed and pruned,  I was told by the driver of the Safety Vehicle, to “Go Back To Your SHIT!”

As a property owner and taxpayer I find this offensive and disrespectful, and the employee/driver’s attitude hostile, unprofessional, and clearly showing a lack of training to deal with a simple request.

As property owners, are we not directly paying for this service through our property taxes? We have many questions so maybe you can answer them for us.

I live on one of Gabriola’s many short, 200 foot, dead-end streets with no traffic or visibility issues. My neighbour and I mow, prune, and manicure the boulevard ourselves. We are more than qualified to handle the grounds-keeping on our street. As for the taller trees, the BC Hydro crews prune around the wires annually.

When your grader turns it’s mower attachment sideways to “PRUNE” the roadside bushes and trees, the result is bruised, injured, and damaged plants that have had the crap beaten out of them and the resulting shrapnel is scattered all over the homeowner’s lawn and street. I would like to see this operation performed on Terminal Ave in Nanaimo and see what kind of reaction it receives.

We should have the right to refuse your service when we are performing these duties ourselves, or feel it is compromising the health of our trees and other plants.

I look forward to your reply in this matter and hope that your crew receives the proper training to be more respectful towards the people who pay their wages.