The City of North Battleford has finally settled on a revamped procedure by which businesses can be granted exemptions from the city's noise bylaw in order to clear snow at night.
City council passed a resolution Jan. 23 that authorized administration to grant exemptions to snow removal contractors from the provisions of the noise bylaw in order to operate their snow removal and snow clearing equipment on commercial property.
This is conditional upon each contractor making written application to the City for exemption approval, and exemptions would be effective until April 30. The resolution passed unanimously.
This latest decision from council comes on the heels of weeks of discussion at City Hall over how to accommodate businesses that have unwittingly found themselves running afoul of noise bylaw provisions that make it difficult to conduct snow removal activities overnight. Noise bylaw restrictions forbid loud noises between 11 p.m. and 7 a.m. on weeknights.
There were exemptions available under the bylaw for snow-clearing, but those called for businesses to make separate applications, with council making the final decisions to grant the exemption requests.
The resolution paves the way for a more streamlined process for snow clearing businesses. Instead of each exemption request application having to receive individual approval from city council, the process now calls for city administration to be able to grant the exemptions directly as long as all the conditions were met.
The resolution was prompted by correspondence from a second business seeking to conduct snow-clearing operations at night.
Edwin Smockum of Over the Edge Yard Care asked for an exemption from the noise bylaw in order to operate his snow removal and snow clearing equipment on commercial property only, similar to what was granted to B and B Ventures in their application granted this month. Smockum suggested the City address the situation through a blanket exemption to all snow clearing businesses, and said the City should allow all snow removal contractors to receive the exemption without having to request one.
A resolution granting his business's exemption, effective until April 30, was approved.
