Oh, Canada, :-(

Published by

Clarissa

November 30, 2014

A law-abiding, tax-paying Canadian homeowner writes:

So, I spoke with a lawyer and turns out that indeed government bureaucrats are allowed to enter a house (even without owners present, as long as someone opens the door) & take pictures as they please! If they show up & no one opens the door, they are allowed to return with police who can forcefully open the door to let them in. No heads up required!

I no longer see any reason to hold on to my Canadian passport. Maybe I will have to spend the rest of my life emigrating, but it’s all good as long as I emigrate away from what’s described in the quote.

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14 responses to “Oh, Canada, :-(”

musteryou

November 30, 2014

Intrusiveness is pretty sad. Landlords are allowed to invade the homes of renters in Aus.

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1. Clarissa
  
  November 30, 2014
  
  “Landlords are allowed to invade the homes of renters in Aus.”
  
  – In the US, even landlords have to issue an official warning 2 weeks in advance about their plans to enter the rented property. And here we aren’t even discussing a landlord/renter relationship. This is owner / complete stranger relationship.
  
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  1. musteryou
    
    November 30, 2014
    
    Yeah, I know. It sounds pretty bad. In any case, invasions are always bad.
    
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Benoni

November 30, 2014

I don’t like how the other first world countries like to trash on America and act superior, and then go and let something like happen.

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1. Clarissa
  
  November 30, 2014
  
  Now imagine if the bureaucrat knocks at the door and you don’t answer because you are having sex and don’t want to interrupt the act. So the bureaucrat brings the police, they kick down the door, barge in, and discover you in the midst of the sex act.
  
  And that is legal???
  
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  1. Evelina Anville
    
    November 30, 2014
    
    So does Canada not have search warrant laws? I’m so astounded by this!
    
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    1. Clarissa
      
      November 30, 2014
      
      We have a very intense reaction to this because of our multi generational experience of totalitarianism.
      
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  2. b g
    
    November 30, 2014
    
    Is this only in Quebec, possibly because their legal system is not based upon the British common law system?
    
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    1. Clarissa
      
      November 30, 2014
      
      That’s a good question. I don’t know. Maybe other Canadians can clarify?
      
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Ol.

December 1, 2014

Canada freaks me out. But our neighbors from the south made me psychologically sick for a decade. I keep my passpost:)

Why such a law exists? Did you sister ask?

Also, it may be easier to track the bureaucrat than you think, and ask questions/complain. Construction permits vary from one neighbourhood to another, so it is not Canada, Quebec, or Montreal, but, say, TMR, Montréal-Ouest, or CDN NDG.

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1. Clarissa
  
  December 1, 2014
  
  Yes, there is an explanation behind the law: if people tear down walls during a renovation, the house might collapse and hurt the neighbors. Of course, there is also a possibility that my sister will play with matches and burn down the neighborhood. I don’t know how this eventuality is prevented. Or maybe she hid a nuclear bomb in the basement and it will explode.
  
  And the lawyer says this doesn’t depend on the township; this is citywide.
  
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ladyleahjane

December 1, 2014

Sounds like a Quebec thing; I’m not a homeowner so I’m no expert, but there doesn’t appear to be anything like that in British Columbia.
In my mother’s American home, however, such a thing did occur, because whoever built the home originally (she bought it in the 70s mind you) crossed the property line while doing so. Because of this, the only renovations to the home she can currently make without inducing a fine are to chop off the intruding part of the house, and she can’t sell the house until she does so.
And yes, a bureaucrat did come into our home and measure this to find out for sure.

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Jones

December 2, 2014

Sorry to break the news to you, but Canada doesn’t recognise renunciations of Canadian citizenship, meaning that you’re stuck with it …

Maybe you should run for public office in the United States — that might do the trick.

It’s a lot more convenient than filling out the forms for a declaration of war. 🙂

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1. Clarissa
  
  December 2, 2014
  
  Or I could stop paying enormous sums fir renewing my Canadian passport. Which will signal that I have stopped playing the favorite game of all Canadians titled “Feed a state apparatchik.”
  
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