Anti-noise bylaw back on TNRD agenda by September

NEWS/  REGION — A proposed rural anti-noise bylaw was met with general approval by the Thompson-Nicola Regional District board today (Friday) and will be fine-tuned for consideration in August or September.

Meeting as a committee of the whole in a workshop, the board was told by development services director Regina Sadilkova the key to the bylaw will be its enforceability.

As reported earlier by A.M. News, the draft bylaw was brought about due to complaints of barking dogs at the Angel’s Animal Rescue shelter near Merritt but is aimed at addressing many types of noise complaints.

Barking dogs are the main source of complaints in other regional districts that were consulted, she said. “We were surprised to see a number of regional districts with noise bylaws.” Most complaints are handled through voluntary compliance but the proposed bylaw would give the TNRD the ability to ticket offenders or take them to court if necessary.

Staff is recommending that the bylaw be in effect in all 10 electoral areas in the regional district, but Area J director Ronaye Elliott gave notice she won’t support it for her area, and wants it exempted.

“My folks have said to me they don’t want a noise bylaw.”

CAO Sukh Gill said if electoral area opted out the board would have to create a new service area rather than implementing it under its planning area.

Elliott was the lone dissenter in a vote to bring the completed bylaw back to the board for consideration.