Charlotte Gibson is still holding out hope that the city of Dollard-des-Ormeaux will grant her an exemption, enabling her and her husband to maintain a makeshift vehicle shelter on their driveway all winter.
The homeowner told Global News, “I have two doctors who indicate that I require appropriate accommodations for a pace.”
The homeowner claims that a temporary shelter is the best option because she has a physical impairment that prevents her from clearing snow and ice from her automobile.
“I don’t think having a tempo is a huge deal. The mayor has informed me that they are hazardous. Why then does Montreal as a whole have them? She spoke.
In defiance of Dollard’s bylaw, Gibson and her husband have built a temporary car port each winter for the previous few years.
Their auto shelter serves as a spooky indoor attraction for guests to visit throughout the Halloween season this year and is decked out in Halloween decorations.
A Montreal resident fights to maintain a temporary carport for Halloween. READ MORE
Gibson, though, demands the right to continue it during the winter. She has already paid fines totaling over $15,000 for breaking Dollard’s ban on automobile shelters.
“I happen to need a tempo, but I’m not getting one. I want them to know what that can do to someone,” she said.
However, the Dollard-des-Ormeaux mayor claims he is making an effort to be reasonable with Gibson.
Mayor of Dollard-des-Ormeaux Alex Bottausci told Global News, “I remain flexible, and the city of Dollard remains flexible.
Bottausci claims he is ready to cancel the penalty if Gibson takes down the shelter by the end of November, but he is unable to give her a pass to leave it up during the winter because Gibson already owns a garage.
If memory serves, the garage is one and a half spaces.
What other place of solace do you have that is personally related to your home than your garage?” said Bottausci.
In the West Island communities of Montreal, opinions on auto shelters are widely divided.
Residents of DDO want the tempo restrictions repealed. READ MORE
Car shelters are not permitted in Dollard-des-Ormeaux, Senneville, Baie-D’Urfé, Kirkland, Beaconsfield, or Pointe-Claire.
However, temporary shelters are permitted in the Montreal boroughs of Ile-Bizard-Sainte-Geneviève and Pierrefonds-Roxboro as well as the suburban municipalities of Sainte-Anne-de-Bellevue and Dorval.
According to Marc Doret, mayor of Dorval, “they are permitted because there are residents who would appreciate that kind of cover over their driveway throughout the winter.”
Doret declares he won’t get involved in the dispute in Dollard and adds that it is up to each town to determine what is best for its citizens.
West Island of Montreal residents continue to argue about temporary auto shelters.
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