It appears a resolution has been found for a snow removal business that found itself unwittingly violating the City's noise bylaws.
Monday, city council granted Zane Saul of B and B Ventures Ltd. an exemption from the provisions of the Noise Bylaw in order to operate his snow removal and snow clearing equipment on commercial property. The exemption is valid to April 30.
Much of the debate at the meeting focused on \ additional conditions the city administration wanted to impose. The original resolution called for the business to provide the City a list of businesses or institutions along with the civic address of the areas to be serviced, as well as to collaborate a schedule of the contract work so that the least amount of noise and disruption is created.
Councillor Brad Pattinson, though, felt the additional conditions were onerous and too complicated, and moved an amendment removing those two conditions from the resolution wording. That amendment passed 4-3, and the final amended resolution to grant the exemption passed by a 5-2 vote.
The decision to grant the exemption comes following extensive discussion over the past number of weeks about the noise bylaw and its provisions on snow clearing activities at night, and whether or not to make changes to the bylaw.
Saul's application for an exemption was prompted by a complaint last fall to the RCMP about snow clearing activities at night. It was alleged the activity contravened the noise bylaw provisions that do not permit loud equipment to be used between 10 p.m. and 7 a.m. on weeknights.
Councillors previously acknowledged the difficulties for B and B Ventures Ltd. in trying to clear the snow yet meet bylaw requirements at the same time, noting overnight is often the only practical time available for snow removal equipment to operate and clear snow from parking lots in time for business to open the next day.
Following considerable discussion of the issue at previous meetings, council opted to not make any changes to the noise bylaw. Council ultimately opted in December to invite Saul to re-apply to obtain an exemption available under the existing bylaw.
Still, the noise bylaw could be revisited before next fall. Councillor Don Buglas indicated he still wants to see the noise bylaw re-examined with respect to snow removal activities and define bylaw enforcement's discretion and methodology in such situations, instead of the process of having each business come forward and put in a request for an exemption .
