Shining light on N.L. dispute
In literature and poetry, in religious texts and modern metaphors, the concept of shedding light on subjects and coming out of darkness is a symbol for good. In one Newfoundland neighbourhood, though, residents are fighting to get a light extinguished.
The people who live in the St. John's neighbourhood of Outer Battery say they are being harassed by floodlights mounted on a private property that illuminate their streets and shine into their homes around the clock. It is not difficult to imagine how irritating that would be for people trying to enjoy their homes or get some sleep.
The lights, which have a brightness of 20,000 lumens each, are visible across St. John's Harbour and leave an after image, according to one resident, like “looking at the sun.”
The residents took their concerns to St. John's city council, where they were told existing bylaws don't cover bright lights. In fact, the only result of the council complaint is that the woman who led the group says a light was redirected right into her window the next day.
Excuse the pun, but this is not a shining example of Atlantic Canadian friendliness.
Outer Battery residents are starting to become desperate to resolve the issue. A Facebook page allegedly offers some suggestions on either side of the legal line, and one man is facing property damage and mischief charges that police say is related to trying to pull down lights. The accused claimed on Facebook the police called him “Batman” while bringing him in.
No one condones vigilantism, but we can all sympathize with the neighbours who are at their wits' end about what legal recourse they have.
A small business with St. John's ties offered one solution. Sleepout, which makes blackout curtains, tweeted that the company was willing to send portable coverings to people in Outer Battery.
Others have suggested mounting mirrors that reflect the lights away. As the lights were so quickly redirected after the council meeting, one can assume this would be an unending game of refraction that still wouldn't solve the underlying issue.
There's no question residents will have to be creative in finding ways to live in the glare of the floodlights. Sunglasses, window blinds and bed curtains can only go so far.
Even the City of St. John's has little it can legally do, and said so in a blog post.
“If the City acts against an individual or company and that action is not allowed by the legislation, then we are acting illegally,” the post reads, stating the “real consequences to the City acting unlawfully” include legal, jurisdictional and financial repercussions.
Residents have started a GoFundMe campaign to pay for a potential civil harassment case and a man facing criminal charges in relation to a number of issues including mounting the lights will appear in provincial court in February.
In the meantime, citizens everywhere should consider how what we do on our own properties affects our neighbours and look for ways to solve issues civilly. If anything, this whole affair has put the limits of municipal and provincial nuisance bylaws firmly in the spotlight.