Ancaster couple furious with bylaw officer

A man appeared in the backyard of an Ancaster couple around 9:30 on Saturday morning with a camera.

The homeowner, Teri-Lyn Unsworth, was nursing her three-week daughter Payton, when her husband Trevor spotted a man out the window in street clothes, with a camera.

“Absolutely certain that he was taking photo’s of my wife breastfeeding in this back window,” he says.

Trevor confronted the man who said that he is a bylaw officer with the city. He was there to inspect drainage during a rain storm. They had met the man before, two months earlier, and he did inform them that he would be inspecting drainage in the area. But on Saturday he was not in uniform, nor did he announce his visit.

“He told us he had the ability to go, wherever he chose. So in his mind he had the right to be on our property without notifying us.”

The man soon left and Trevor called the police, filed a report and says that they are planning to press charges. The couple just had their first child three weeks ago, and Teri-Lyn is now afraid to be home alone.

“Even though he didn’t come into the house, he was just in the backyard, for me, that’s something that scary because i’m on mat leave, and my husband is away working every day, so it’s just me at home.”

They also lodged a complaint with the city supervisor as well as contacting their member of council. Councillor Lloyd Ferguson e-mailed the couple today saying:

“We all believe that the inspector should have knocked on your door before coming into your backyard even though he has the right to. We will be tightening up our polices to make it a requirement that an attempt to notify a property owner by knocking on the door will be a requirement before entering private property.”

The city of Hamilton by-law says that an officer has the right to enter and inspect if at any reasonable time and upon producing, proper identification, enter upon a property without a warrant for the purpose of inspecting the property.