Thunder Bay man pleads with council to keep backyard fence

Good fences make good neighbours, the old saying goes, but one Thunder Bay resident is being told his fence violatesthe city's bylaws and has to go.

Brian Vic received a notice from the citythat his fence at eight feet is two feet too high.

The fence, which is built of pressure-treated lumber"hinders nobody's ability to travel down the lane," he said. "It block's no one's view, other thaninto my backyard. So I'm here today, with my hat in my hand, to humbly request an exemption to keep my fence up as it stands."

Development Services manager Mark Smith says the city's bylaw is for aesthetic reasons and "not wishingto create a community of palisades."

Vic said his immediate neighbours had no issue with the fence beforehand and he's heard no complaints now that it's up.

Given that information, councillors Rebecca Johnson and Brian McKinnon both saidthe city should take a closer look at its complaint-based system.

Council will get a report on the fence bylaw and how to create an exemption in a few weeks.