To the Expositor:
It is amazing how people think that they can just help themselves to whatever they want and think it is not theft. When Hydro One crews cut trees and brush under the power lines people helped themselves to any wood that the crews left behind. They had to trespass on someone’s private property to remove that wood that was left behind. A rail fence is not your source of free kindling, it was at one time a fence to keep a farmers livestock on the farm, but now the farmer can’t keep his livestock on his property because the fence is so low from people taking a rail here and there.
Today I was driving home on the side road I live on and there was a couple helping themselves to a couple of Christmas trees. They brought their chainsaw to get the trees so the trip was well planned out. They were well onto to private property to get these trees. Again, theft. Attention people: the municipal road allowance on Ontario roads is 66 feet wide. Telephone and hydro poles are placed on the edge of the road allowance. If there is a fence in place along the road it does not mean that is where the property line is, the landowner placed it so he was not on the road allowance. How many times have we seen this? People digging up trees, taking firewood, removing fences, picking apples and even dumping their trash on peoples property. What kind of mentality has come to the people where they do this and think nothing of it? If someone was to come to my door and ask if they could cut a Christmas tree along the road where my property is I would happily say yes and even help them get it, but for the people just to take with out asking? Shame on you! You are stealing.
Lloyd Elliott Mindemoya
