You Know The System Is Broken.........

.....when highly paid politicians and beauracrats are spending our tax $$$ dealing with issues like clotheslines. I was under the impression that developers needed approvals from the province and the municipalities when they include covenants but I guess politicians are more interested in getting their piece of the development fees to worry about the rights of the buyers.

Hung out to dry TheStar.com - comment - Hung out to dry

January 22, 2008

Having your backyard view obstructed by your neighbours' unmentionables is a small price to pay for environmental responsibility.

Yet in some parts of Ontario, clotheslines are banned out of misguided concerns that the sight of drying laundry might spoil a neighbourhood's character.

So it is good news Ontario Energy Minister Gerry Phillips is taking steps toward lifting clothesline restrictions as part of a broader effort to encourage energy conservation. With electric clothes dryers gobbling up about 6 per cent of the total electricity used in a typical Ontario home, there is no good reason to outlaw this sensible and environmentally friendly alternative.

Phillips yesterday launched a 60-day public consultation to determine how best to go about lifting clothesline bans on detached and semi-detached homes and row houses. His efforts appear to be aimed at restrictive covenants imposed on some homeowners by property developers, as the government says it is not aware of any municipal bylaws banning clotheslines.

Separate consultations will take place on how to address clotheslines in condominiums and highrise buildings.

Once this process is complete, Phillips should move quickly. By banning clothesline bans, Queen's Park could reinforce the message that saving the environment really does start in our own backyards.