Good fences make good neighbours

Article from Volume 12, Issue Number 4, 2025

By Greg Sametz | Other articles by Greg Sametz | Feature

The property is defined on its north and south perimeters by more than 400 feet of wooden fencing, six feet high, on each side. The north fence sits entirely on Three Amigos property and has been replaced. But the south fence does not! The fence on the south side belongs entirely to the Amigos’ neighbour, a co-operative housing complex that receives government support. The complex is served by its own board and is managed by yet another board of directors.

Over the years, the south fence has fallen into disrepair and our attempts to get the complex to replace it have largely fallen on deaf ears. Attempts by Amigos volunteers over the years to repair or to shore it up have served as temporary Band-Aid solutions at best. Age plus Manitoba’s climate have finally taken their toll on the fence and it has deteriorated to the extent that it is simply unrepairable.

Even though it is not the Amigos’ fence, one of the Amigos’ condo corporations replaced a portion of the fence nearest to its property line a number of years ago at its own expense. Sections of the fence have fallen over, making it unsafe for those who walk by it. Holes and missing boards have invited unwanted trespassers onto Amigos property, including animal guests that find their way through and litter that blows daily from next door, added to our frustration.

Here’s the problem: The south fence needs to be repaired or replaced. It is not on our property and the board of the neighbour on whose property it sits has not responded to attempts to communicate.

In a conversation on a cold morning last January in the constituency office of Mintu Sandhu, MLA for The Maples, representatives of the two condo boards outlined their dilemma and their frustrations — complete with pictures! Sandhu is the minister of public service delivery, which includes responsibility for the Manitoba Condo Act.

From the outset, Sandhu appeared genuinely interested in and concerned about our cause and promised to see what he could do to help. Attendance at our annual barbeque gave him a complete picture of our problem. Numerous conversations and emails during the ensuing months resulted in a communication from the neighbour's management company telling us it had secured funding to remove and replace the fence. Hurray!

The final cost to us was negotiated. Late summer saw the old fence removed and a new one built and we all admired its beauty. At a late summer party on the patio we toasted the new fence, knowing that together we are better and that good fences can indeed make for good neighbours.

Greg Sametz is a condo owner and a member of the Board of Directors at WCC 363 Royal Oak Gardens.

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