Watch your step!
Written by Dominique Houle on 03/08/11
Photo by Domiriel on Flickr
Have you ever heard of accidents on private properties, such as construction sites, where people have been injured or maybe even lost their lives simply because they didn’t take the necessary safety measures or weren’t suppose to be there?
‘No Trespassing’
Trespassing is the act of entering a private space without the permission to do so from the owner or person responsible for the property (Wikipedia*). In Canada, each province and territory has regulations related to trespassing. Trespassing laws help protect all private properties, whether they are fenced off, marked as private or not and these laws also ensure the safety of people around them such as property owners, workers and other members of the public, like you and I.
Since it’s summertime, more new houses or buildings might be getting built in your neighborhood. And what’s more fun than to go play or hang out in those giant unfinished houses once the workers have left the grounds? And if we’re lucky, a backhoe or a bulldozer was left on site! What’s not so fun though is being caught for trespassing or worse, getting hurt. Private properties are not open playgrounds and most of them are usually surrounded by a fence or signed as private for a reason – it is forbidden by the law to enter them without authorization and it can be dangerous.
Minimizing theft and vandalism
Other activities often related to trespassing are theft and vandalism. For example, some might think that there is no wrong in painting on construction sites or taking a couple of planks of wood and nails to build a skate ramp or a tree house for you and your friends. But while you are free to make those choices, the consequences can be pretty heavy for your community even if you’re intentions weren’t bad – vandalism and theft are against the law and can have negative impacts on your neighborhood and yourself (Sécurité publique Québec – in French only).
So let’s help to prevent unnecessary accidents related to trespassing. Notify an adult and call the police if you see someone trespassing, vandalizing or stealing from private property. Remember, if you’re not a worker and do not have the permission of the owner, you’re a trespasser!
Links
DEAL.org: All aboard the Safety Express
Sécurité publique Québec: Le vandalisme (in French only)
* Note: Although DEAL.org uses Wikipedia as a source, it should be known that the Wikipedia website is open-sourced. This means anyone can edit the information and it is not guaranteed to be reliable and should only be used for general background information on topics, and not detailed and extensive information.
