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County considers Community Standards bylaw

The draft form of a contentious bylaw was presented to Rocky View County councillors, March 8.

The draft form of a contentious bylaw was presented to Rocky View County councillors, March 8.

Addressing several key issues, such as noisy motorbikes, garbage and use of guns, the Community Standards Bylaw combines information previously contained within the Noise, Unsightly premises, Firearms and Municipal Addressing bylaws.

“We have tried to bring together all the bylaws that have to do with the liveability in Rocky View,” said Ted McCauley, Rocky View’s manager of bylaw compliance.

If approved, the document would make Rocky View County the first rural municipality in the province to have legislation related to excessive motorcycle noise, by creating decibel limits and giving officers the right to conduct roadside tests.

According to McCauley, the legislation was introduced because a large number of complaints about vehicle noises from across the county. One such area is Bragg Creek, where residents have voiced numerous concerns about motorbike noise.

“I am a biker myself, so I well understand the issues out there,” said McCauley. “When you put three hundred bikes in a small hamlet like Bragg Creek, it really inundates them. This will reduce the issue, it won’t eliminate it.”

According to McCauley, the bylaw will only affect modified motorbikes, as standard mufflers are well below the allowable decibel level of 92 when idling or 96 when in operation.

McCauley said the bylaw targets motorcycles because there are no reliable roadside tests for other vehicles.

“People are going to accuse us of picking on motorcycles. We have a method to monitor motorcycles, we’d like to use them,” said McCauley, adding that once there are approved tests for other vehicles, he would be more than willing to add them to the bylaw.

According to McCauley, noisy vehicles have long been against the law, but until now it has been difficult to enforce.

“Provincial statues have been hard to use,” he said. “Present provincial legislation has been woefully inadequate.”

The bylaw also contains controversial new rules for guns.

No one will be allowed to shoot guns or other weapons such as pellet guns, slingshots and bows and arrows, within a hamlet, rules that didn’t exist under the previous bylaws.

In addition, the bylaw introduces shoot zones, which include farms larger than 30 acres, and quarter sections with less than eight residential buildings. If approved, no guns will be permitted outside of these areas, although weapons would still be legal.

“We wanted to preserve the rights of our residents who need to use firearms,” said McCauley. “We didn’t feel the need to protect recreational users.”

The new density rules would make firing guns on less than 20 acres illegal, except by permit, a shift that raised concern by some council members.

Reeve Rolly Ashdown said the density should be increased to allow acreage owners to control pests.

“I shoot gophers every year, under this I couldn’t do that at all,” he said. “I am thinking you should change that (density number) to 40 per acre.”

McCauley said he is willing to modify the bylaw and is seeking input from the public. He hopes to see the final document put in place by this summer.

“These are all ideas,” he said.

“The hard part is finding rules that everyone can agree on. It is good for enforcement, but primarily to advise people what their responsibility is to their neighbours and the County. These are laws created by the people of Rocky View for the people of Rocky View.”

McCauley welcomes feedback to the bylaw and can be contacted at 403-520-7272. The draft bylaw will be posted on the County website at www.rockyview.ca


Airdrie Today Staff

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