Richmond horse stable owner in heated feud with neighbour
A dispute in Richmond between a horse stable and its neighbour is getting ugly. The owner of Blue Meadow Farm claims his neighbour is breaking several bylaws, and in doing so, causing major issues for his horses and riders.
“It’s extremely frustrating,” said David Kao, whose family owns Blue Meadow Farm.
“They started bringing in dump trucks and machinery.”
Kao says his property used to be a quiet place to ride, give lessons and board horses. That changed, he says, when new neighbours moved in last August.
“When we have children riding, we have to completely stop our riding lesson in order for them to finish dumping,” said Janice Foley, manager of the horse stable.
Foley says the frequent sound of trucks dumping large supplies of wood startles the horses, creating an unsafe environment for the riders.
“One of these days, those people are going to dump and going to cause trouble for the wrong horse and the wrong rider,” said Foley.
The owner of the adjacent property, Daniel Cheung, also owns Canwest Marine Services, which advertises services including storage and distribution solutions. Blue Meadow Farm has put in formal complaints about the neighbour for violating several city bylaws, including ones regarding noise, unsightly premises and using agricultural land for industrial purposes.
“Obviously, we want to figure out, remedy the situation just between neighbours if possible,” said Kao. “But the guy told me to lawyer up. He told me the fines are just petty change to him.”
Kao says one altercation between a worker on the neighbouring property and a horse trainer resulted in him calling the police.
CTV News reached out to Cheung, who said he doesn’t believe he’s doing anything wrong and won’t be making any changes unless he’s forced to by the City of Richmond.
CTV News has learned that Cheung received multiple fines late last year for contravening the unsightly premises bylaw.
“We are aware," said Clay Adams, director of communications for the City of Richmond.
"We have an active file on this location.”
Adams wouldn’t divulge specifics on the case, but says certain situations could result in more severe punishments.
“If you’re in contravention of a zoning requirement of some kind, we’ll then get into much bigger issues, which often involve much larger amounts of money, potentially legal action and so on,” said Adams.
Meanwhile, Foley and Kao say they’ll ride out the feud as long as it takes.
“We are fighting all the way,” said Foley.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
Canadian gov't proposes new foreign influence registry as part of wide-spanning new bill
Prime Minister Justin Trudeau's government is proposing a suite of new measures and law changes aimed at countering foreign interference in Canada, amid extensive scrutiny over past meddling attempts and an ever-evolving threat landscape.
Boeing Starliner capsule's first crewed test flight postponed
The long-awaited first crewed test flight of Boeing's new Starliner space capsule was called off for at least 24 hours over a technical issue that launch teams were unable to resolve in time for the planned Monday night lift-off.
Teacher charged in historical sexual assault of Calgary teenage girl
Calgary police have charged a teacher with the alleged sexual assault of a teenage girl more than 20 years ago.
Winnipeg man admits to killing four women, argues he's not criminally responsible
Defence lawyers of Jeremy Skibicki have admitted in court the accused killed four Indigenous women, but argues he is not criminally responsible for the deaths by way of mental disorder – this latest development has triggered a judge-alone trial rather than a jury trial.
Man banned from owning animals after fatal Calgary dog attack
The owner of three Calgary dogs that got loose and mauled a woman to death in 2022 has been ordered to pay a $15,000 fine within one year and banned from owning any animal for 15 years.
East-end Ottawa family dealing with massive rat infestation
Residents in Ottawa’s Elmridge Gardens complex are dealing with a rat infestation that just won’t go away. Now, after doing everything they can to try to fix the issue, they are pleading with the city to step in and help.
Mediterranean staple may lower your risk of death from dementia, study finds
A daily spoonful of olive oil could lower your risk of dying from dementia, according to a new study by Harvard scientists.
An El Nino-less summer is coming. Here's what that could mean for Canada
As Canadians brace themselves for summer temperatures, forecasters say a weakening El Nino cycle doesn’t mean relief from the heat.
Newfoundland and Labrador latest province to tighten rules on Airbnbs
Newfoundland and Labrador is the latest jurisdiction to bring in stricter rules for short-term rentals, with a coming set of regulations that will force operators to register with the provincial government.