October 12, 2025
The Annual General Meeting of the Fisher Heights and Area Community Association turned into a session filled with complaints. Though the term “bitch session” might seem harsh, it accurately described the atmosphere.
The President began the meeting by summarizing the association’s events from the past year and spent about ten minutes reviewing the financial statements. After that, he opened the floor for discussion, with the local City Councilor present at the head table.
The first concern raised by a resident, amid the mostly grey-haired and entirely white attendees, was the rat population thriving in his home. Many others joined in, revealing that the area is facing a significant rat problem. I recalled that this same issue was discussed last year, with residents blaming the increase in rats on the construction of the Light Rail Transit (LRT) system downtown. The excavation for the underground rail disturbed the rats, causing them to migrate into the suburbs—specifically, into our neighborhood. No solutions were proposed last year, and using poison was deemed not an option since children lived in the rat-infested area.
Our councilor addressed the discussion by explaining that the city is taking the rat issue seriously and has started mapping the geographic areas where rats thrive. Residents are encouraged to report any rat sightings in their homes to the city. The councilor also mentioned that a rat committee has been established, and a dedicated section about this issue has been created on the city’s website.
Additionally, the councilor advised us that rats tend to flourish in “messy woodpiles,” “overgrown grass,” and “compost bins.” He urged residents to clean up their woodpiles, maintain their lawns, and consider limiting or discontinuing composting altogether. While this advice is practical, it may not be well-received by those who enjoy composting. Although the information provided was helpful, it remains unclear how these measures will effectively improve the situation in our community.
The discussion then shifted to parking problems in the community. Residents voiced strong objections to having parked cars in front of their homes, even when those vehicles were on public streets. Their concerns appeared to arise from a desire to prevent strangers from parking near their houses. This situation raised questions about whether their objections were related to safety, the aesthetic appeal of the neighborhood, or simply a feeling of ownership over the street in front of their homes.
In response, our councilor suggested that larger households in our area were contributing to this issue. This statement was surprising, as our community has been aging, resulting in fewer children. So, where are all these new residents coming from? One possibility is that the rental complex in our area has begun charging for visitor parking, which forces guests to park on public streets. Others pointed out that many young adults are staying at home with their parents because they cannot afford to buy their own homes. The councilor also noted that redevelopment in the area has led to higher housing densities, resulting in more households in the community and, consequently, more cars on the streets.
Many audience members asked why the city cannot install more no-parking signs. The councilor explained that no-parking signs are placed only in areas where intersections create dangerous driving conditions. In these instances, people often find alternative parking spots elsewhere in the neighborhood, which means the identified parking issue is simply shifted to another location. This approach hardly resolves the problem!
Additionally, parking is becoming a bigger issue due to the new zoning bylaw, which reflects the city’s growing population. The city council views densification as the only solution, aside from an unlikely massive investment in public transit. Ultimately, higher population densities will lead to more cars on the streets.
Another topic discussed was the overflowing garbage bins in city parks. Since we have curbside garbage pickup, someone asked why the garbage truck doesn’t also empty the garbage containers in the parks when it passes by. The councilor explained that this is more complicated because the public works and parks departments use different contractors for garbage collection. Could better coordination between the two departments improve efficiency and reduce costs? I wondered if the councilor would consider taking this suggestion back to the city for further discussion.
Continuing on the topic of our parks, someone raised a concern about the absence of no-smoking signs in these areas. This individual observed people smoking cannabis in public spaces—likely due to the smell—where young school children walk. I thought we had already implemented a bylaw regarding this. The councilor responded by discussing the challenges of enforcing a no-smoking bylaw in city parks. He mentioned a shortage of bylaw enforcement officers and indicated that enforcing such a bylaw was not a top priority. Additionally, the potential revenue from this bylaw would be minimal compared to the significantly more profitable option of ticketing for illegal parking.
Another individual complained about loud construction noises at night. A construction company working on a high-rise building accidentally damaged a water pipe, necessitating emergency repairs overnight. The infrastructure maps provided by the city to the company failed to mark the location of this major water pipe, which supplied water to a nearby dialysis clinic. Restoring the water supply became urgent.
The person who raised the noise complaint stated that she was not concerned about the work at the dialysis clinic; rather, she objected to the nighttime noise, which deprived her of sleep. This comment troubled me, not only because of her lack of understanding of the situations that can arise on construction sites, but also due to her apparent lack of compassion for the patients at the dialysis clinic. To compound her complaint, she asked if the contractor was fined for breaking the water pipe. My goodness! It was an accident! Moreover, it was the city that provided an outdated map. Should the city fine itself for that?Continuing on the topic of our parks, someone asked why there are no no-smoking signs in these areas. This individual observed people smoking cannabis in public spaces (I assume he noticed it by the smell) where young school children walk. I thought we already had such a bylaw. The councilor addressed the topic by discussing the challenges of enforcing a no-smoking bylaw in city parks. He mentioned the shortage of bylaw enforcement officers. He indicated that enforcing such a bylaw would not be a top priority. Additionally, the potential revenue generated from implementing this bylaw would be minimal compared to the significantly more profitable option of ticketing people for parking illegally.
Still another person complained about loud construction noises at night. A construction company working on a high-rise building accidentally damaged a water pipe, necessitating emergency repairs overnight. The infrastructure maps provided by the city to the company failed to mark the location of a major water pipe. Since this pipe supplied water to a nearby dialysis clinic, restoring the water supply became an urgent matter.
The person who raised the noise issue stated that she was not concerned about the work at the dialysis clinic; instead, she objected to the nighttime noise, which deprived her of sleep. This comment troubled me not only because of the lack of understanding for a situation that is likely to occur on construction sites, but also due to her apparent lack of compassion for the patients at the dialysis clinic. To compound her complaint, she asked if the contractor was fined for breaking the water pipe. My goodness! It was an accident! Moreover, it was the city that provided an outdated map. Should the city fine itself for that?
At that point, I had reached my limit with the complaints and decided to leave the meeting. I found myself questioning the positive actions the association had taken over the past year. I heard that they had painted some lines on a basketball court, replaced the flooring in the community center, and allocated funds for a bicycle repair station in one of the parks. They also organized several community events, including this meeting, where residents could voice their concerns and speak with our councilor. While these are positive steps, I wondered if they were sufficient to justify the existence of a community association.
As I drove home, I realized that the meeting did not address the various clubs the association sponsors, such as a bridge club and fitness classes in the community center. Including presentations from these clubs could have been beneficial, as it might have encouraged more people to participate in the association’s activities. I also questioned the absence of a proposed budget outlining the association’s priorities for the upcoming year. I left the meeting feeling that it was a missed opportunity to make the association more relevant to the community. Overall, I don’t think our community has any significant issues at this time.
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