Public Commons

• Laws are not written in clear, simple language, and visibly posted in our parks and public spaces. Here are some of the stories of confusion about: 1) what the rules actually are; 2) who can make rules; and 3) who can enforce them.

Part of Notebooks: Laws and Regulations

Due to the sheer number of laws and policies that apply "across the board" throughout the province or the city, people have no practical way to know - or even to find out - what rules actually apply to their local public amenities and public spaces.

Because many different laws pertain to the same spaces all over the province, country or city, the laws themselves also conflict with one another from time to time. Every time there is a conflict in laws or policies, or laws, taxpayers pay for city or provincial or federal staff to try to attend to the problem.

Below are some of the stories about the confusion that happens on the ground from the tangle of often complex and convoluted laws that (often unwittingly) govern our public spaces. And, here are some reflections about the Cost of Confusion about the laws governing public spaces.