According to Williams Lake Senior Bylaw Services Officer Evan Dean, the Bylaw Services Division has seen a great deal of activity both internally and operationally.
In his report delivered to the Williams Lake Committee of the Whole, Dean says the Bylaw Services Division has been supporting extensive efforts of the Emergency Operations Centre. He says the COVID-19 pandemic has reduced the opportunity for face-to-face interaction and direct engagement with key stakeholders, and this resulted in a diminished capacity for aspects of proactive enforcement of education initiatives.
COVID-19 hasn’t stopped the Bylaw Service completely, as they have still been receiving calls for service. The report detailing the calls for service in 2021 as compared to the last few years includes statistics for between January 1st and April 15th.
The most common of those calls so far this year has been for dogs and animals, which they have received 33 calls for.
Other types of calls the Bylaw Service received more frequently than others included parking and traffic (24 calls), and RCMP Excess Nuisance (23 calls). Officer Dean’s report says the City’s Good Neighbour Bylaw allows the City to issue a $1,080.00 fee to property owners for repeated calls for service for either the Bylaw Service or RCMP, and there is an option for a $500 excessive noise ticket.
Other notable calls included 33 miscellaneous or uncategorized calls, and no calls for business license or lost and found bikes.
Senior Bylaw Services Officer Dean says the team is seeking to streamline some of its activities and improve a number of reporting functions/processes, and strives to maintain a community standard for everyone in the city.