Burlington neighbour dispute escalates to sex-toys-in-a-tree, makes Jimmy Kimmel show

Fences make good neighbours, the old saying goes.

But multicoloured phallic sex toys in a tree, not so much.

A neighbour dispute on a central Burlington street escalated to the point where a man erected a backyard display of plastic protuberances resembling male appendages, to stick it to the couple next door.

Shaun Oriold inserted the projectiles into the roof of a plywood raccoon house he built atop a tree stump, about two metres (eight feet) high - all to raise the ire of neighbours Linda and Chris Lee.

I came home after being away for the weekend, and I looked out in the backyard and my jaw dropped," said Linda. I said to my husband, you are not going to believe this ... I mean, who even thinks to do something like that? It's completely bizarre."

The display was put up in the spring, but Oriold vows to take it down soon.

I angled it so these particular neighbours could see it," said Oriold. We don't see (the display) so it doesn't bother me."

Oriold said he asked a Burlington bylaw officer if doing so was against city bylaws, and he said, Well no, there's no bylaw against it, but it's not a very nice thing to do.'"

It all started last fall: the Lees, longtime residents on the street, asked Oriold, who had recently moved in, to remove a towering dead tree that hung over their backyard. It was a potential hazard, they said.

Oriold agreed to do it. What happened next seems in dispute, but Oriold said he asked if they would help pay for it, and failing that, hired someone to do it. But when the Lees pre-empted him by calling a city bylaw officer, Oriold said he was stuck with a $1,000 bill that was $400 more than he had anticipated.

The Lees said they called bylaw as a last resort, when it appeared to them that Oriold was not going to remove the tree.

I was concerned for the safety of our dogs, and even when I was cutting grass, I would look up and see (the overhang), and was worried it would break," said Linda.

After it was cut, and the tall stump remained, Oriold installed the box on top for animals that had lived in the tree, and his wife ordered sex toys online from China and Canada, at minimal cost, he said.

I did it to prove a point," he said. Like, talk to your neighbours, don't call bylaw for every little thing."

The display was up for a couple of months, but torn down one July night when the Lees held a backyard party.

Oriold accused the Lees of doing the damage. Linda said, there were some 20-year-olds (at the party), I'm pretty sure one of them knocked it down. It was not how I intended it to be handled."

Oriold reinstalled the lewd decorations, along with a rainbow-coloured addition, and said a friend applied metal pipe wrap" to ensure they would remain firmly in place.

CHCH ran a story about the dispute this week, in which the Lees and Oriold appeared separately on camera. The spot was broadcast during a monologue for comedic effect on the Jimmy Kimmel Live" show.

Oriold met with the Lees in the aftermath of the CHCH report and told them he would remove it.

It's not a priority, but I will take it down and stick to my word," he told The Spec.

The Lees said they are disappointed the City of Burlington has not already taken steps to order the display removed. They said the nuisance" bylaw should be enacted, in which anything deemed indecent or offensive to the senses" or that interferes with the comfortable enjoyment of life or property" qualifies.

Burlington councillor Lisa Kearns told The Spec a potential private solution was presented to the neighbours, but would not say what was suggested. (The Lees said Kearns told them they could make it go away" if they paid Oriold $400, which Chris Lee said is extortion," adding there is no way" they will pay.)

Linda Lee said if the display is not removed, and the city doesn't take action, she'll consider legal steps.

I don't know if there is a case, but I would seek legal counsel, because this has impacted the enjoyment of my property and ability to entertain guests. I don't like doing that sort of thing, but I would pursue it if he doesn't take it down."

Kearns told The Spec that the bylaw department is aware" of the dispute and that the turnaround time on responding has been reasonable, given demands on the department.

It's unfair to put this on the city," said Kearns. We always encourage residents to uphold neighbourly behaviour and positive decorum."

Jon Wells is a feature writer at The Spectator. jwells@thespec.com