Jamie Gilcig for Mayor of Cornwall Ontario Election Blog – It’s time for a Door To Door Solicitation By-Law

JG Election 300x250-02  TESTSo you’re working at home; or just chillaxing, or have just put the baby to bed and your silence is disturbed by a doorbell.

It’s a person trying to come in and check your water heater; or someone trying to sell you something; or a religious group looking for new members.

Or worse; it’s a someone with a fraudulent or criminal intent.   In this day and age should we be allowing unsolicited door to door sales in our communities?

When elected I would work towards ending or limiting unwanted solicitations and disturbances by creating a proposed by-law that would force vendors/solicitors to purchase a permit to do so and register what exactly their actions would entail so that we can limit who knocks on taxpayers doors and to help protect the community from possible fraud; especially with our high percentage of seniors and people on fixed incomes.   I also think this by-law should prohibit minors from knocking on doors without adult supervision as it could potentially put them in harms way in this day and age sadly.

We can make a better and safer Cornwall one step at a time.   What do you think Cornwall?  I’d love to get feedback on this proposal.  You can comment below.

While election time is in October.  We can all take steps for change today!

13 Comments

  1. That would be a very good idea and that is one of the best reasons why I love this security apartment building. We don’t want to be disturbed and even the supers know that. When the lady super used to deliver circulars on the door she would knock and my husband would get all upset and she would laugh knowing him. LOL LOL. There is a sign downstairs not to solicit in the building and the only solicitation we have is approved by the supers. The solicitation is usually by Rogers Cable which is very rare, the scrutineers at election time or the super needing to do some sort of repairs or check ups which is mighty rare. We live so very quietly and appreciate that very much and so much so that you can hear a pin drop in this building. People are great tenants and we won’t find that anywhere else and the people in the private homes are wonderful as well. When we owned our house in Cornwall we had so many solicitations even for vacuum cleaners and the young man didn’t want to leave. I don’t need a vacuum that costs an arm and a leg. I have a simple vacuum and don’t need one that can suck the cat through the hose. Many people are not financially well to buy such things and get into trouble financially and I agree to limit people trying to sell at people’s doors.

  2. Door to door solicitation is an annoyance at best and should be outlawed. I get one or two a year who are foolish enough to come onto my property, and they leave much more quickly than they arrive.

  3. Author

    I had no solicitation sign on my door and still had the doorbell rang. It’s wrong.

  4. In that case, it’s more than wrong. It’s harassment, or possibly trespassing. I love living in the boonies.

  5. Think its one of the best idea,s I,ve heard in a long time.Something like this should of came along years ago.Hoping concillers jump on this one.

  6. im not in favor of door to door sale peoples the worse is the phone ones,,,,,,,at least the door ones we get to see them and express our feeling and know who they are..

  7. acording to what i see here the phone thing is ok,,,

  8. @ Fern. I agree. I love seeing the terror in their eyes when they realize that they’ve bothered the wrong person.

  9. Author

    That’s part of the point. This would protect poor people that take these jobs from potential grief and harm; especially minors.

  10. I think you people are over reacting to a mild annoyance. Any criminal would not register their intent, they would just knock, so who you are really trying to hurt are the legal, honest, entrepreneurs who have the guts to solicit in the most difficult manner. Put up a sign, and that eliminates 90%. I build my business in the beginning by going door to door, and I would challenge any of you to try that, and I have never been rude, always been courteous, and have developed a successful practice. you don’t regulate annoyances, you don’t want to answer the door, don’t. The government puts enough red tape in the way of honest businesses.

  11. Cornwall would not be the first municipality to have a bylaw for door-to-door salesman. Casselman has a bylaw for it now.

  12. @ Mr. Beck. I live in the country with no neighbours close by. We always answer the door when someone knocks. You never know if it might be someone in need of help. If it’s someone trying to sell me something, they get a very nasty reception. You say that you are never rude and always polite. I call BS on that. It is quite rude and impolite to disturb someone in the privacy of their own home to make a sales pitch.

  13. Mr.Beck.I congratulate you on your success with your door to door selling.But i,m sure you didn,t lie,deceit or shame older people into buying your product.For the last few years thats all these door to door sales people do.I alone have some stories you probally wouldn,t believe from these so called sales people.No i would like to see Jamies idea come out over this issue.Nothing wrong with issuing permits to these companys someones has to keep an eye out for the ones who fraud the people in to buying ther product.Have a nice day

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