A Winnipeg senior says she's stressed out and saddened by a $200 fine she was slapped with, after a sign indicating her house number disappeared from her backyard fence.

Lorna Doberstein, 78, got the ticket from the City of Winnipeg, for failing to display a house number in a back lane, by mail in late August.

"Outrageous. Absolutely a money grab, as far as I'm concerned. There's no reason for that. People can't afford it. I know I can't," she said.

Doberstein has lived on Flora Avenue for the past 13 years. She said she hung a number sign from her chain-link fence backing onto the lane "several years ago," though she never realized it was compulsory.

At some point during this past summer, someone backed into Doberstein's fence and damaged it.

She didn't notice the number sign was missing from her fence until she got the fine notice in August, though she said it's possible the sign disappeared before that.

The City of Winnipeg's Neighbourhood Liveability Bylaw states house numbers must be visible from the back lane. (Erin Brohman/CBC)

The ticket says she was in contravention of the city's Neighbourhood Liveability Bylaw, which states a home "adjacent to a back lane" must have the number assigned to it attached to the fence or accessory structure in a way that's "clearly visible" to the back lane.

According to a city spokesperson, the rule "supports emergency personnel, city staff, and the general public and is used when trying to identify and locate a home."

The spokesperson said before a fine is issued, a compliance order is issued to the homeowner to remedy the violation, with "sufficient time" provided to property owners to comply, including contact information for enforcement officers.

Doberstein said she'd been away for much of the summer — a difficult time because of the death of her mother, and frequent travel to visit her sisters in hospitals outside of Winnipeg. Someone else was looking after her property while she was away, Doberstein said, but she never misses her mail.



She says she got "no notification at all."

"All of a sudden I'm getting this fine in the mail," she said. "That's cruel."

Doberstein shows the clasps that used to hold the address sign on her back fence. She doesn't know when it went missing, and never thought to replace it because she didn't know about the bylaw. (Warren Kay/CBC)

As soon as she got the fine, she rode her 10-year-old niece's scooter all the way to Home Depot in Garden City to pick up the materials to craft a new sign to replace the one that was removed. In September, she went to city hall to show staff photos of the damage to her fence, as well as photos of her new sign.

The city recently sent her a notice in the mail, requesting an insurance claim for the damaged fence or police report number, if applicable.

But Doberstein didn't make a house insurance report — she isn't sure when the incident happened, nor did she feel it was serious enough to warrant a report.

She's also gone to her city councillor for help.

"I don't think they should fine someone if they have a legitimate reason for why the numbers aren't up," said Coun. Ross Eadie.

But Doberstein says Eadie told her there's nothing he can do, because it's a city bylaw.

'This is really stupid': neighbour

The CBC canvassed each homeowner on her block, and found while most people did not have their addresses visible from the back lane, only one other homeowner — Doberstein's next-door neighbour — said he received a similar notice from the city.

He said he wasn't fined because he painted his house number on the rear siding of his home.

Bev Pollard said she was shocked by Doberstein's penalty. She has no visible numbers in her back lane, but didn't receive anything in the mail about it.

"This is really stupid.… Look at all the garbage in the back lanes. Look at all the crime in the area. And they're going on about numbers?" she said.

"But yeah, I'll put one up there. I don't want no $200 fine."

After speaking with CBC, she posted a cardboard sign with her house number on her fence.

Bev Pollard took measures to avoid a fine after hearing about Doberstein's. (Warren Kay/CBC)

Doberstein wants to warn people about the bylaw, but also feels her own fine should be dropped.

"I don't think it's my fault that my sign is gone," she said, adding she also doesn't think the signage should be compulsory.

"I've been a delivery driver, and if I didn't see the sign on the back I'd go to the front."