Garage Sale Bylaw Rains On Yard Sales

Well…Knowlton has made the front page of The Montreal Gazette! A story by Alex Roslin talks about the bylaw restricting garage sales in Brome Lake. In the story he writes: "As the mercury soars and hockey season draws to an end, Canadians are getting ready for that other great national pastime: the garage sale. Perhaps nowhere has that tradition been stronger than the Eastern Townships village of Knowlton, a favourite destination of antiquing tourists hoping for that rare find because of the many old farms and historic homes"



But now, residents say the tradition is threatened by a new town bylaw restricting the sales in an effort to keep the community from looking "junky," in the words of Richard Wisdom, the mayor of Lac Brome, the amalgamated municipality that encompasses Knowlton."….Read the full Gazette Story

The recently proposed bylaw restricting garage sales was rescinded then modified and now its creating more of a stir as the Montreal Gazette featured a story on Knowlton and the Garage Sale Saga on the front page of the English Language Newspaper. Again the Mayor is saying that the signs make the town look junky. It seems there are signs going up all the time for various events, pointed to businesses, announcing a boat or car for sale, all over the village not too mention the endless waving For Sale and For Rent signs that are plopped on every other lawn!

Firs the bylaw was rescinded and then modified and people in Knowlton are wondering what is really happening and if they will be free to go back to selling their junk without of fear of being arrested!

Previously...it began thus...back in January.

I am lucky enough to spend a few weeks in January away in the sun; a much needed vacation where I relax and try and forget about the snow of the Eastern Townships. This year we went to the Hawaiian Islands and had a great time exploring three of the islands. Having just returned, we began sorting through the pictures we took for our new travel website TripSister.com, and began coming back to the reality of being back in Knowlton. It's actually good to get home even when you’ve been to Hawaii!

But I picked up a copy of the Brome County Snooze to see what had been happening and catch up on the local news and almost spilt my tea! Someone wants to take away our Garage Sales?

My first reaction was: "What the #%^&! What's wrong with a good ole fashioned yard sale?"

But upon reflection I can see the Town’s side of this…some garage sales and the folks who run them look downright creepy...and they are often hawking the most questionable of junk piled like garbage on spindly legged tables and if I had a neighbor who sat outside all weekend trying to sell their collection of board games and broken electronics I’d likely get fed up…but some garage sales are well organized with good materials for sale that will find new life in someone else’s home. So why toss the baby out with the bathwater?

With the sorry state of the roads and bridges and the lake and the schools in the district and with tourism hitting all time lows in Lac Brome how could someone have thought it would be a good idea to make a great Canadian cultural event practically illegal?

Many people can’t believe that they want to put the kibosh on Lawn Sales and Garage Sales! Ok...a garage sale is a bit like Karaoke...anyone can sing but that doesn’t mean everyone should sing, but how can anyone legislate people from exercising their freedom to massacre "When A Man Loves A Woman"! Why should the bad singers spoil it for everyone else? Is the fact that a few yard sale "nincomepoops" don't have the Debbie Travis touch when it comes to laying out the trash a reason to ban every red-blooded Canadian living in Brome Lake from having a cute and cuddly sidewalk sale?

Garage Sales are a part of our culture and Quebeckers have turned garage sales in to a veritable art form over the years! People from all over this great country go out on sunny weekends to buy, barter, and meet with friends and neighbors on the great open field of yard sales... exchanging goods and stories in the sweet arena of tax-free small time commerce.

Of course it’s no surprise that a Town will find any angle to squeeze tax dollars out of us but this is just downright sacrilegious!

Ok, before I go on, let me just say that I often see garage sales here in Lac Brome, Sutton and even Bromont, and I roll my eyes and say to myself “Ouf…ca fait dur!” and agree that there needs to be something done! Some people seem to set up a card table every weekend and sit outside drinking beer hoping to sell their broken hair clip collection! We often see posted signs in August that advertise sales that took place in June. Would it be so hard for you people to remove your out of date garage sale signs? Ummm...apparently so...hence the new bylaw!

I can see the philosophy behind the law and actually agree in principal that something must be done to stem the free-for-all flea-market look of some of these set-ups. Some US cities require sales to be held in the back yard instead of the front. That’s a good idea! If something isn't done soon we'll end up looking like some third world market village in the Paris slums!

Garage sales are, to many people, a normal part of living in the lower and middle class...a time and place when you don't just toss things out but you go outside and maybe offer your un-wanted items to a friend or neighbour. Hmmm...that sounds ok to many people...so why would the Town of Brome Lake look down upon yard sales? When local businesses drape tattered flags and banners outside their stores, how do the elected "leaders" of the town find the nerve to force the citizens of Brome Lake to stop holding yard sales?

As a boy our family would have garage sales a few times in the summer and it taught me how it’s better to pass on the things we aren’t using anymore and make a few dollars. It taught me to understand commerce and I met neighbors and friends. Does this Town want the yards to be empty of children and families? Are they trying to launch a death-blow to Lac Brome? Now tourists can just whiz right through town as they look for something to do…garage sales brought people into the Town and then the shops and the restaurants! Pardon my reference to the music of Cypress Hill, but this decision is, like the song says, “Insane in the Membrane!”

Mayor Richard Wisdom said at the meeting that the Town looked messy with all the signs for garage sales being put up all over the place. Some people wonder how does a few fluorescent signs painted with poster paint and decorated with glitter and balloons by children put a scar on this town? Didn’t the Town try and have business owners comply with specific signage rules? I guess since that didn’t work out as well as planned the Town decided to pick on someone less resistant: Mom and Pop and their collection of ebay rejects!

The new bylaw will restrict yard sales to the last weekend of May and the first weekend of September. People who want to sell their treasures must purchase a $20 permit at least 15 days before and cannot post any signs. Ummm…can’t post signs? People might as well mail the Town $20 and dump their stuff into the landfill…the results will be the same.

While the Town is on such a roll...why not put a TAX on all earnings from garage sales, bake sales, bottle drives and Girl Guide cookie collections? Some people think that these elected officials have overstepped the boundaries of logic...this is Canada after all and last time we checked anyone who owned property had some rights as to what they could do on thier plot.

But the Yard Sale "Donald Trump wannabees" have to also realize that every street corner in Knowlton and every utility pole in Lac Brome isn't their own private bill-board for their miss-spelled and gaudy garage sale adverts! Clean-up after yourselves please or else the Town will be more than justified to impose laws...d'uh!

Some folks have muttered that this sort of draconian bylaw is so ridiculous it makes many people wonder if some members of this town council even have a connection with the average citizen. Knowlton is more than just wealthy estate owners in a land of gated domains after all!

And let’s be fair, there are probably more real estate for sale signs up than garage sale signs on a per capita basis in Knowlton! At least a garage sale; no matter how pathetic the people running it or how worthless their junk, is an indication of life and of people living free. It’s not just the garage sales that look messy either. There are countless examples of how property owners, both private and industrial, are basically not giving a damn when it comes to keeping their properties tidy. Maybe the town needs a liaison officer to be able to make positive suggestions as to how people can make Knowlton look better instead of sending out registered letters and drafting bylaws that should be declared un-Constitutional, or at least un-Canadian! Lawn Sales and Garage Sales have a long historical relevance in our country just like Hockey!

What’s next? Little Sally on Oak Street can’t have a Lemonade Stand in mom’s driveway because the signage isn’t three-dimensional wood with halogen reflective lighting? Why couldn’t the Town ask people to take the signs down when their garage sales were over and maybe have a public relations person visit garage sales and try and start a new way thinking? Why not educate people how leaving signs all willy-nilly for weeks after the event doesn’t look good…I mean I think everyone can agree with that! It makes sense for people to pick up after themselves and I get a little miffed when I see signs that are out of date. It’s just litter at that point! But it’s not just the slack jawed table jockeys who leave their signs stapled to posts for months after the event! Even the people who ran the Environmental Fair that happened in September 2007 at the Brome Fair Grounds have neglected to remove signage that is, unbelievably, nailed to trees. Some environmentalists!

Some comments are that the Town leaders seem to be working in an isolated world; designing a Lac Brome which few locals seem to understand. They feel that the Town should work more with people towards a common vision instead of just imposing laws and rules and bureaucracy and regulations! Whenever I hear about such laws as this this I start contemplating doing one of two things, either packing up my business plans, selling the farm and moving out of Knowlton or else running for Town Council; I haven’t decided!

We need to try and teach people although trying to educate the masses on the importance of good taste and tidiness is a Sisyphean task with little chance of success! My suggestion, since you asked, would be to allow anyone to have a garage sale whenever they wanted but they would pay $10 for a permit. They would also be asked to remove all signs when the sale was over and they would be liable for a big fine if they didn’t remove their signage …it’s not hard to find out where to find the offending garage sale owner lives if they don’t remove signs! But not just garage sales; anyone or any organization that puts up a sign to advertise the sale of something or an event should pay a $10 permit and be fined from $50-$1000 if they didn’t remove it.

The Town would make millions off of the real estate agents alone if they did that!

Oh...by the way…I’ll only give you 10 cents for that broken hairclip!

Now that the garage sale law has been taken off the books...maybe this is what we'll be seeing this summer in Knowlton!

So Our Trees Are Becoming A Nuisance?

A beautiful elderly tree on St. Paul Street has been selected to be cut down and residents are asking if this is part of what seems to be a growing trend where development and individuality seems to take priority over our collective environment.

Residents on the lovely and historical street in Knowlton were chagrined to see a Hydro-Quebec marker on the huge and healthy tree near the historic St. Paul Anglican Church which meant the old-growth tree may soon be cut down, unless, of course, the residents who are mounting a petition can convince all sides involved to reconsider!

Concerned citizens, including children who live within the vicinity of the tree, immediately placed a hand-drawn poster on the tree and tied ribbons and even placed a petition for residents to sign on the trunk of the tree that has stood for generations near the historical church on St. Paul street across from the Historical Museum of Brome County and across from the Brome Lake City Hall. That such a healthy and prominent tree could even be considered for removal has shocked and appalled residents!

Neighborhood children living near the tree decided that something had to be done and armed with only ribbons and crayons, and maybe some parental support, decided to start a petition and allow passers-by to sign their names and leave it in a colored sack hanging on the tree. When this intrepid reporter stopped to check the bag it seemed that many people had signed the petition to save the tree!

People under the tree were wondering why Hydro-Quebec would want to cut down the tree which was over one-hundred years old and who even asked them to perform such an abomination!

Granted if a tree is hazardous to human life-and-limb or threatens to disrupt electricity transmissions then something must be done but doesn’t it make more sense to try and accommodate the tree by maybe moving a telephone pole instead; and if that $2000 price tag to move a phone pole is too rich for anyone then you have to ask where the priorities are in our world? Why not place a simple insulated saddle to keep the wire safely away from the tree?

Hydro-Quebec was apparently contacted by a resident and indeed they had marked the tree for destruction based on this request of a resident. It has yet to be ascertained if a local resident was concerned for the neighborhood safety or if there were insurance issues based on the proximity of the tree to a neighboring home on St. Paul Street. As far as Hydro-Quebec charging in with chainsaws blazing due to the tree being close to the power lines, which do admittedly come within the proximity of the White Pine, why does this Corporation have the mandate to go in and rip out trees? Didn’t their engineers maybe contemplate the surrounding trees when they were digging holes for their poles?

This tree is over one-hundred years old and any rightly-oriented person would wonder who was there first….the tree or the person who asked for the removal of the tree? Anyone doing a monthly survey of traffic on St. Paul Street shows that, as is typical in Brome Lake and Knowlton, there are often two types of residents: those who live here permanently and want to raise their children in a quiet and natural setting that is both healthy and environmentally progressive, and those who live far away and maintain a weekend residence who think inside a bubble only inches larger than their own property.

Some people pop in and out of the village into their second or third homes that they bought in Brome Lake and feel that their domain should be their little pink toy that they can do what they want with so it looks like something from the pages of a Martha Stewart Home Sense magazine!

Didn’t we see our former Prime Minister, Paul Martin, kill some lovely trees and blatantly disregard environmental laws in order to have a private golf course on his property only to have a little tap on his wrist? Didn’t we see another private resident get fined by the Town for cutting down trees without a permit? Aren’t we seeing massive destruction of trees in Dunham because Hydro-Quebec wants to put in hydro lines? Aren’t we seeing Knowlton going onside with the Main Street (Rue Principals) program which mentions hiding the hydro lines in order to beautify the Town?

People in Brome are seeing a few inconsistencies and arbitrary contradictions so it is no wonder that people are calling the Town to ask what is happening!

Take a look at this picture! Admittedly, I am not a German Windmill Engineer so Hydro-Quebec will likely reject my proposal to keep their poorly placed line from touching the tree but I won't be deterred: A small brace on the tree with glass insulators would keep the line spaced securely away from the tree...but it seems that the solution is just too simple for them to grasp! Chainsaws and axes have worked in the past so why change policy?

Reportedly, a resident who phoned the Town of Brome Lake regarding the tree on St. Paul Street was told that the Town couldn't really object if a resident within their legal rights asked for the tree to be cut down by Hydro-Quebec; calls to Hydro-Quebec seemed to give the response that they were waiting for word from the Town of Brome Lake. Isn’t it convenient when both sides of suggest that it’s up to the other to make the call!

At least the children are brave enough to take a stand and do something instead of passing the buck!

Some of the more jaded amongst us are saying that the tree will come down and no ribbon and petition campaign will make a bit of difference. Some of the more jaded of the jaded say this tree is coming down for no other reason that someone in the vicinity of the tree objects to the pine needles tumbling onto their property garden.

Goodness! Imaginations can run amuck! It would be disturbing to think that anyone in this day of global warming would be able to find a justifiable reason to chop down a mature and healthy tree. The trees and hills and lakes around us define who we are and people who choose to live here should accept that our natural wilderness is an integral part of our heritage and cannot be removed just so a property owner can live in homes reminiscent of Canadian Home and Garden with perfectly manicured gardens and optimal views of the hills and lakes.

Maybe the tree is a threat to fall during a windstorm? Why not do a simple core sample and see if the tree is healthy? Some experts state that such a tree has a huge root expanse and there is little if any risk the wind could knock it over being in the solid soil it's in. There's more risk of a Quebec highway overpass collapsing on someone than there is that this healthy tree would ever come down!

This sign was placed by the kids on the White Pine tree. Hmmm...they even made a bilingual sign which is more than many folks do when they make signs in the Town of Brome Lake for their for sale signs or those soon to be banned garage sale signs!

Some people point out that The Town of Brome Lake always seems to throw their hands into the air whenever a serious issue comes up and says they can’t do a thing about because it’s not their decision…when taxes go up for us they say it’s the evaluators fault…when a stop sign can’t get put in…they say it’s the Québec government that has to do it…when we are fed up with having no good police force they say they have no choice…trees being cut…can’t do a thing…lake pollution…can’t enforce any laws…goodness gracious what the heck are people paying taxes for?

How can a healthy tree that is older of any resident in this town be chopped down when there must be alternatives available! My goodness it is sad to see the children of St. Paul Street so upset!

Many of us who grew up in rural Canada had a particular tree that was where we had a tree-fort or a tire-swing or stole a first kiss sitting under the trunk. We used to marvel at the bark of the tree and marvel at the birds who danced and chirped in the boughs above our heads; the ants and spiders and squirrels made us, as children, feel that a tree was worth protecting as it was the catalyst for so many species. So many creatures coming together in the global simplicity of a tree!

This picture shows a resident of Knowlton signing the petition and looking up...way up...to the top of the magnificent pine.

Of course everyone has a right to own many houses around the world and many cars but when the children of Brome Lake are tying ribbons around a tree and have tears in their eyes it is time to see the leaders take a stand instead of saying that they have no control over what goes on.

It seems that in other municipalities where Rues Principals has worked they are often suggesting that burying hydro-lines is one way to improve the look and feel of a town so it seems ludicrous that Hydro-Quebec is removing trees at will and the Town who supports Rue Principals philosophies would just say “Oh Well”!

Last year another favorite tree for many residents was unceremoniously cut-down and then the Town, after having publicly announced their new directions in environmental progress days before, literally destroyed a natural filtering system that feeds the lake after a resident complained that the helpful plants were an eyesore! OUCH!

In Dunham the tragedy of the trees being removed has made the front pages of the local newspapers! To see the before and after pictures is a heart breaker! Hydro-Quebec has spent millions on their marketing, including that lame commercial that shows some hydro electric dam a la James Bay project powering a Tokio Hotel band wannabe guitar yet they refuse the windmill projects submitted by the local Bromont Windmill company in favor of some German group…great…a Quebec company tried to help solve the energy crises and the Liberal Government and Hydro-Quebec say no causing massive fiscal loss for the local companies in Bromont. Some tinfoil-capped residents say its proof that the whole system is run by a Teamster-esque gang working in complicity!

Near Dunham the hard work of planting trees by long-time residents had created a magical thick, lush clustering of vibrant living, breathing trees...a natural habitat for creatures big and small!


The same road seen during the Hydro-Quebec clearing frenzy eradicated years of growth within moments to make way for power lines. With every destructive punch the planet gets beat down further into illness in the name of profits, progress and greed.

These pictures are courtesy of the Brome County News, photographer: Chapman

Many feel that such disregard for such natural and historical structures in Brome Lake and across is proof that the entire “Save Our Lake and Join Kyoto because the Environment is our Priority” PR movement by our Canadian and Quebec Government leaders is nothing more than “Bunky duck doo-doo”!. Who knows what this German firm did to deserve the contract…maybe they employ people from Quebec? Not likely!

While towns like Knowlton suffer due to some cosmetic ugliness caused by Hydro-Québec power lines and sub-stations, Hydro-Québec continues to refuse green windmill projects in our area and cuts down more and more and more trees! While business owners in Brome Lake work with Rue Principals to beautify the town, one of the obvious causes of ugliness throughout the village of Knowlton is the strings of wires and crooked creosote soaked poles spoiling the skyline holding drooping electric lines emitting electro-magnetic pollution.

Hydro-Quebec continues to clear corridors of green space to make way for transmission lines to the USA…isn’t something similar happening in Alberta where the tar sands is being called an environmental catastrophe! Recently close to 1000 ducks perished while landing in a polluted waste water basin in Alberta. Some people see the profit-hungry government agency of Hydro-Quebec is willing to raze acres of forests just to appease profit targets and corporate bonus payments!



These trees were here before all of us and will likely outlive most of us despite our grandiose schemes and delusions of importance! I have often stepped outside my door to look into my tree to see the birds singing and not caring a whip about me…if that tree was gone then their would be no birds singing to not care a whip about me…that would be as sad as to think of one of our children seeing a glorious tree being sawed down because some bureaucracy couldn't find a better way to save a life.

Many times I have returned to my hometown back in Western Canada and passed by the old house we used to live in and the strongest emotion I feel is when I see the empty spot near our house where that glorious tree used to stand where I played hide-and-seek as a boy. I feel so sad for the children who love that tree on St. Paul Street because if it gets cut down they will feel the same poignant loss that I do thinking about my lost tree.

Country Chic Fashion Show

The popular annual luncheon and fashion show featuring clothing and original fashion creations from some of Knowlton's finest boutiques will be held on Sunday May 4th in Lac Brome. Come and see why Knowlton is becoming known for having a variety of mens and womens clothing stores and unique styles that rival many large city centers.

More and more visitors are discovering that the local Knowlton businesses have a lot to offer that can only be found here in Brome Lake. This is the perfect event, now in it's sixth year, to come and enjoy the best of all of Knowlton has to offer in one place in the cozy comfort of the Relais.


Country Chic Fashion Show
The 6th annual luncheon show featuring the boutiques of Knowlton ~ spring & summer fashion for women and men. Boutiques featured include Clementine à la Campagne, Elle Diva, Jones New York,Ma Bille, Jodi Mallinson, Paddies, Rococo, Sandila, Woolrich, Zen Den. Door prizes.

Presented by the Restaurant-Bistro Le Relais, 286, Knowlton Rd.
Reservations required: 450-242-2232.