Bylaw officers in St. Albert will have a few more tools available when enforcing the city’s new Community Standards bylaw.
The new bylaw is an amalgamation of the city’s 1977 Nuisance and Untidy and Unsightly Premises bylaw and the sidewalk snow and ice removal sections of the Traffic bylaw. According to municipal enforcement supervisor Aaron Giesbrescht, the two bylaws were unclear because of competing definitions, making it difficult for officers to properly enforce either.
“It makes it very difficult to have successful prosecutions in court when the time came,” he told council on Monday night. “The bylaw … provides different examples.”
The bylaw will deal with the items such as snow and ice removal and what constitutes an untidy or unsightly property. That will include what kind of coverings can be used to keep an unoccupied house closed and a bylaw that states all buildings deemed uninhabitable must be torn down within two years of the designation.
At the same time, the city got rid of its Weed Control bylaw, with Giesbrescht saying the city doesn’t need it with the province’s Weed Control Act in place.
Giesbrescht added that the increase in fines for the different offences would go a long way to ensuring compliance within the community. The standard maximum fine for those who fail to follow bylaw requirements is presently $500.
Under the new bylaws, those caught causing a nuisance on their property will face a minimum fine of $1,000 while those who fail to fix the problems can be fined up to $2,000. The maximum fine will be $10,000 and a potential for one year in jail, which Giesbrescht said is in line with current bylaws.
“It’s always a challenge when you deal with people who don’t want to comply,” he said. “If they fail to clean it or pay, then we will issue a court summons to appear.”
He added that the city would do the clean-up and charge the bill to the property owner if necessary.
Coun. Lorie Garritty wondered if it was possible to tie the charge of cleaning the property into an owner’s tax bill, saying it might be easier for the city to collect on outstanding fines that way. Giesbrescht said it was possible, adding it would take some organization with the tax department to make that happen.
Mayor Nolan Crouse agreed with the new bylaw and fine structure, but questioned the definition of a building in terms of where graffiti may be placed by a vandal, wondering if it included the back portion of a fence that is not visible from the street. Giesbrescht confirmed that the bylaw covered all structures located on a property, including the fence.
Coun. Carol Watamaniuk said she was glad to see the new bylaws and beefed-up fines, adding that she hoped it would serve to make property owners think twice about disobeying bylaws.
“If there’s people who don’t take pride in the property, it can really bring the whole neighbourhood down,” she said. “I think that this kind of money will make people think again.”
