Town council debated what it takes to be a good neighbour in Canmore last week and the result is a comprehensive bylaw that will be open to public consultation at the end of the month.
Some of the areas the proposed bylaw would regulate include unsightly properties, graffiti, noise levels, sidewalk clearing and boulevard maintenance.
Manager of protective services Greg Burt told council at its committee of the whole meeting on Tuesday (June 11) the bylaw is meant to be a “made in Canmore” approach and would give the Town the ability to issue fines for unsightly properties.
“The intent of the section on unsightly properties is to help clarify expectations of how we would like properties to be kept and would create a financial deterrent,” Burt said. “This is helping to define what you can or cannot have on your property.
“Truly it is showing a serious disregard for the maintenance and upkeep of your property.”
The list includes: physically inoperable, dismantled or derelict vehicles, whether insured or registered; loose garbage; bottles, cans, boxes or packaging materials; household furniture or other household goods; automobile parts; part of disassembled machinery, equipment or appliances; or yard waste.
Burt said the restricted items must be visible to the public and enforcement of the bylaw is to be complaint driven. Fines for the bylaw are proposed to be $250.
Councillor Sean Krausert expressed concern that what can be considered unsightly is a matter of opinion and only one public complaint can launch an investigation.
“To some people something might be beautiful and for others it could be junk,” Krausert said.
As for graffiti, the bylaw prohibits it from being applied in town and requires an owner or the occupier of a property to remove it.
Burt said the intent of the bylaw is to work with property owners, and there are no timeframes included for graffiti removal in order to be flexible.
“Graffiti is a major problem and a major cost,” noted Coun. Gordie Miskow. “I agree it is hard to catch someone, but it is also hard to capture it in a bylaw — we are penalizing property owners for someone else’s stupidity.”
At issue for council was whether or not requiring property owners to remove graffiti should be included in the bylaw. Krausert put forward a defeated motion to remove the section of the bylaw, saying if graffiti is unsightly, property owners will remove it on their own.
“If an owner of property is offended by graffiti they will remove it,” agreed Mayor John Borrowman.
One section of the bylaw that saw considerable debate was on nuisances escaping properties, or smoke, dust or other airborne matter that disturbs people surrounding a property.
Burt said he feels regulations in the proposed new fire bylaw that only clean dry firewood can be burned and should address particulate issues.
However, the section of the bylaw was drafted to address an individual resident’s concerns with a neighbour’s wood fireplace, which didn’t sit well with council.
Councillors Krausert and Vi Sandford commented the civil court system is likely the better place to address the issue, rather than a municipal bylaw.
Borrowman proposed a successful motion to forward complaints to provincial public health inspectors to be addressed under the Public Health Act.
The other issue that came up was a provision of the noise section to allow golf courses to conduct maintenance and grooming activities as of 6 a.m.
A successful motion by Krausert saw the wording removed.
The draft bylaw will now go out to public consultation before it receives first reading by council. Those interested in commenting on provisions of the Good Neighbour Bylaw should attend the Civic Centre on June 26 from 7-9 p.m.
