Callander is working on implementing new community standards by-laws, but councillor Jordy Carr cautioned against “overstepping.”
“I think we’re overstepping in a lot of areas with this,” Carr told council at their last meeting, when the draft community standards by-law was tabled for consideration.
The document, prepared by municipal staff, will help Callander remain “picturesque and well-kept,” and will compliment the Property Standards by-law, “which will be presented in the coming weeks” for council’s consideration.
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The priorities outlined in the community standards are keeping one’s property clean and clear, maintaining walkways and driveways, eliminating graffiti, and includes rules governing garbage.
Swimming pool maintenance, rules regarding composting and the elimination of standing water are also on the books, and no grass shall stand more than 20 centimeters on one’s yard. The complete draft is available on the municipality’s website.
“There’s a million different things in here,” Carr said of the by-law, noting that some of the new rules might be difficult to enforce, and many could be revised for clarity. For example, regarding the rule against having derelict, unlicensed vehicles in one’s yard, a resident could be restoring the car, and “if it takes him four years” to finish, “are we going to be fining him?”
Carr commented that “one man’s waste is another man’s treasure,” and sometimes it can be difficult to differentiate between “garbage or useful materials” within someone’s yard.
Rules surrounding garbage include instructions that garbage containers should be “closed, or emptied, rinsed and cleaned when not in use to prevent the escape of offensive odour or waste.”
“We’re telling people they have to wash their garbage cans out?” Carr asked. “You’re kidding me, right?”
“In our effort to keep our community clean and nice,” Carr added, “I think we have to really be careful that we don’t overstep. And I see a lot of overstepping in many different directions.”
Mayor Robb Noon encouraged Carr to provide her suggestions to municipal staff, who will take the points into consideration, as the by-laws are still in draft. Residents are also encouraged to offer input to the municipal office.
“I think there’s a lot of good things within this,” Mayor Noon said. “Maybe they have to be tweaked but I think this is another step to developing our community in the way we want to see it.”
A final version of the by-laws will return for discussion at the March 22 council meeting.
David Briggs is a Local Journalism Initiative reporter who works out of BayToday, a publication of Village Media. The Local Journalism Initiative is funded by the Government of Canada.
