Updates to Gibsons’ 40-year-old noise bylaw are being forwarded to council after getting the endorsement of the planning and development committee Sept. 8.
A report to the committee said the bylaw needed to be revisited to deal with outdated terminology and to include specific rules around construction and the use of power tools, “which are frequently a source of complaints to the Bylaw Department.”
The amendments were first presented to the committee in late July, when committee members asked for the addition of a simplified table showing permitted hours for activities like construction or power equipment use and a provision allowing people to apply for an extension of the hours “with a fee.”
The bylaw that will go to council in the coming weeks would permit construction “for gain or profit” Monday to Friday from 7 a.m. to 8 p.m. and Saturday from 8 a.m. to 6 p.m. People doing work on their own home would be allowed to make noise on Saturdays, Sundays and holidays between 8 a.m. and 6 p.m.
It would restrict the use of power equipment to Monday to Saturday 8 a.m. to 8 p.m. and Sundays and holidays from 9 a.m. to 6 p.m.
“Power equipment, especially leaf blowers and weed eaters, are the most common source of complaints from residents,” the staff report noted.
The bylaw amendments also set “quiet hours” as Monday to Thursday between 10 p.m. and 7 a.m. and Friday to Sunday from 11 p.m. to 8 a.m.
The Friday to Sunday quiet hours would also apply on holidays with the exception of New Year’s Eve, when noisy revellers would be tolerated up to 1 a.m.
Some committee members raised the difficulty of enforcing noise bylaws, which are traditionally complaint driven and often involve noise that’s not ongoing.
Bylaw officer Sue Booth told the committee the Town’s approach doesn’t always require bylaw officers to attend a site while the noise is happening.
“We don’t necessarily have to be present [while the noise is ongoing] to enforce it – people’s statements after the fact are sometimes enough,” Booth said. “We’re not going in straight away with tickets, we’re going to talk to [people], educate them and caution them if need be, then go from there.”
Coun. David Croal said he thought having an updated bylaw in place, and making the public aware of it, would act as its own type of enforcement.
“[With] people being aware of the fact we’ve got the bylaw will come a level of compliance and people [will say] there’s a bylaw about noise, maybe I should think twice about doing it, if they know they have a potential problem,” he said.
