'Like the sun was shining': Burnaby residents frustrated by bright tower light
A “ridiculously bright display screen” from the Gilmore Place development shone light into a Burnaby home overnight on Monday, prompting complaints from residents.
The screen was on from about 5 p.m. on Jan 26 to 8:30 a.m. on Jan 27, according to Martin Kendell, the strata council president of Tandem Tower 3 at 4182 Dawson Street.
“It was extremely, extremely frustrating.”
When Kendell came home Monday evening, it was dark outside. But when he entered his living room, “it was literally like the sun was shining still. It was ridiculously bright in our unit. It was like a bluish light, kind of thing,” he said.
“Our living room was completely lit up, and our master bedroom as well. And then, literally, probably within 15 minutes, I got about a half a dozen calls and emails and texts from people in the area saying, ‘What the hell’s going on? Why is my living room lit up?'”
On Reddit, other residents complained about the bright light.
“We live several blocks away near Willingdon, and it’s insanely bright for us too,” wrote ghostshelby.
“Feels like I’m having a night light in my living room,” said noncil.
Kendell decided to wait for a couple of hours to see if someone would turn it off. When it was still on by 9 p.m., he emailed Burnaby Mayor and Council with his complaint.
“This screen needs to be turned off immediately or have its brightness reduced significantly in order to not intrude into our living spaces. It is unacceptable for us to bite [our] collective lips and deal with another source of light pollution that will impact sleeping patterns and our collective mental health,” he wrote.
He also called the City of Burnaby’s Emergency number, the RCMP non-emergency number, and the strata council for the Gilmore Development, but wasn’t able to get the light turned off.
Kendell said that they received “no indication whatsoever” about the screen turning on.
“I didn’t even know there was a monitor over there until they turned it on yesterday.”
Kendell raised several concerns about living next to the Onni Group’s Gilmore Place development, complaining about the construction noise, destroyed sidewalks, and traffic congestion.
“There’s no consideration whatsoever for the people that live in this neighbourhood,” he said.
“We’ve just received this complaint and will be reaching out to the building owner, and will see if the sign complies with City bylaws,” said a spokesperson from the City of Burnaby in an email to Daily Hive Urbanized.
Daily Hive Urbanized reached out to Onni Group but did not hear back before publication.