Effective May 1, Canora town council entered into an agreement with the Commissionaires, based out of Yorkton, to provide bylaw officer services within the town of Canora.
Michael Mykytyshyn, chief administrative officer, said bylaw enforcement includes: the nuisance bylaw, animal control bylaw, business license bylaw, traffic bylaw, zoning bylaw, noise bylaw, firearms bylaw, waste collection bylaw and the building bylaw.
Initially the bylaw officers will be educating people regarding the bylaw rules and requirements, and whether they are in violation. Mykytyshyn said in the majority of situations, education leads to compliance with bylaws.
Mykytyshyn said if there isn’t compliance, the next step is warnings, followed by fines, and then legal orders to remedy, with the possibility of adding the cost to property taxes.
He said the main focus at the start will be on the nuisance bylaw, since this is the area where there have been the most complaints in Canora. There have been some complaints regarding the animal control bylaw, but Mykytyshyn said there has been significant progress made in this area in the past few years.
When the Commissionaires are on duty, members wear uniforms and drive marked cars, which usually raises awareness and compliance, said Mykytyshyn.
He said bylaw officers will appear in Canora to perform their duties on random days and at random times, and occasionally even on weekends.
During the presentation to council, a Commissionaires representative mentioned that the enterprise has been performing bylaw enforcement since 2013, when it initially provided the service to five communities in Saskatchewan. Five years later the business is providing services to 75 communities across the province.
Mykytyshyn said bylaw enforcement is part of Council’s continuing effort to make Canora a more attractive place to live, work and run a business.
