TRUST BUT VERIFY, LANDLORDS

Dear editor,

Further to the letter of 10th August by Wade Hunter entitled "Landlords
shouldn't do cop's job."

I have known good landlords and I have known not so good landlords, and the
question I would place before them, and by association, Wade Hunter is:
When are you going to take full responsibility for your own obligations?

You have chosen certain people to live in your rental property. You have
certain obligations towards the community regarding safety and community
health on that property as a citizen of North Cowichan or anywhere else,
for that matter If you suspect that your property is being used for
illegal, unhealthy or otherwise anti-social activities, it is your
responsibility to check it out (you have the right and by common sense the
duty to do this a.s.a.p.) If you, as a responsible citizen were keeping
tabs on your own property then I don't think the neccessity to look for
"compensation" for electrocution, explosions or chemical exposure would
even arise. And the heading "Landlords shouldn't do cop's job" would not apply.

I have lived in the Cowichan Valley for many, many years and the citizenry
have shown commendable caring, social responsibility and pride in their
neighbourhoods and their municipality (and city) it only takes a few bad
apples to spoil the barrel (did you notice the letter by Peter Ameerali in
the same 10th Aug edition about 'Drunken Duncan'?) People; we have a
beautiful Valley! But to keep it and ourselves safe, prosperous and growing
we have first to take full responsibility for our own neck of the woods.
And please don't go foisting "jobs" on our hard-working and professional
police, or teachers, or even civil servants which should be ours first.

Mr. Wade Hunter could take to heart a remark made by President Reagan to
the, then, Chairman Gorbachev at Helsinki; when beginning the Helsinki
Accord: "Trust, but Verify!"

J. Peter Elliott

Duncan