By David F. Rooney
Council has approved a new Public Nuisance Bylaw that seeks to curb bad behaviour by drunken louts.
What kind of bad behaviour?
Well, Bylaw No. 2083 takes aim at individuals “engaging in drunkenness, profane swearing or indecent, obscene or grossly insulting language on a highway or in a public place;” fighting in public; and those who “urinate or defecate on a highway or in a public place.”
Drunken yahoos nailed for those kinds of activities “shall be liable on summary conviction to a fine not exceeding Five Hundred Dollars ($500.00) and the costs of prosecution,” says the bylaw, which received first, second and third reading during Council’s regular meeting on Tuesday, July 14.
The bylaw was prescribed by Council’s Security Committee. Council decided in May that the recommendation had real merit and asked staff to draft the new bylaw.
At the time, Legislative Services Manager Teresa LeRose said that until now drunks are held overnight in the cells at the RCMP detachment. The 15-to-20 charged with public intoxication every month do get fined but that money goes to the Province — not the City.
Please click here to read the new bylaw.
In a related decision Council added a number of other no-nos to its list of ticketable municipal offences:
Failure to Obtain a Demolition Permit – Building Bylaw — can set you back by $500;
Failure to Notify of Change – Business Licensing and Regulation Bylaw — can set you back by Bylaw — can set you back by $100;
Alteration or relocation of sign, failure to repair or remove sign, failure to comply, sign contrary to bylaw, obstruction or interference and display prohibited sign – Sign Bylaw— can set you back by $100; and
Container at curbside exceeding weight limit, storage of container accessible by wildlife – Solid Waste and Recycling Bylaw — can set you back by $50.
Please click here to read the bylaw. The new ticketable offences are on page 4 of the document.
