bylaw services annual report 2013

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1 Bylaw Services 2012 Annual Report | Town of Canmore

Bylaw Services Annual Report - 2012

The Town of Canmore Bylaw Services Department is responsible for the enforcement of selected Town

Bylaws and Provincial Statues. Officers are available to respond to complaints between the hours of

7:30am and 6:00pm 7 days a week. During the summer months officers work sporadic shifts until

9:00pm with a dedicated focus on parks and trail patrols.

This report highlights statistical information from 2012 including warnings and tickets, patrols,

investigations, domestic animal impounds, photo radar and provides an overview of the department.

Department

The department consists of three Community Peace Officers and one administrative assistant that

report to the Bylaw Services Supervisor (who also holds a Community Peace Officer appointment). The

job duties of the supervisor include a requirement to work as much as possible in the field.

Community Peace Officers hold dual appointments that grant them the authority to enforce Bylaws and

Provincial Statutes.

Bylaw Enforcement Officer Appointments are issued by the CAO for the enforcement of the Business

Registry, Clearing of Sidewalks, Domestic Animal Control, Hunting & Trapping, Land Use (enforcement

sections only), Noise, Parks, Water & Sewer, Smoking Control, Taxi, Traffic Street & Sidewalk Waste

Control, and False Alarm Bylaws.

Community Peace Officer Appointments are issued by the Alberta Solicitor General for the enforcement

of the Animal Protection Act, Dangerous Dog Act, Gaming & Liquor Act (limited to Section 89(1)

Using/Consuming Liquor in a Public Place), Petty Trespass Act, Tobacco Reduction Act and Traffic Safety

Act (limited to non-moving violations only).

Commitee of the Whole 2013.02.12 at 1 p.m. Page 88 of 100

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Warnings and Tickets

During 2012 a total of 1735 warnings and tickets were issued, an increase of 29% over the preceding

year. Warnings and tickets result from investigations or offences that are observed while on patrol.

Bylaw/Provincial

Statute

Warnings Tickets Animal Control Bylaw 120 70 Traffic and Streets

Bylaw

142 616 Traffic Safety Act 269 382 Waste Bylaw 11 5 Taxi Bylaw 5 5 Land Use Bylaw 1 4 Noise Bylaw 5 1 Parks Bylaw 6 0 Business Registry Bylaw 1 0 Gaming & Liquor Act 1 1 Petty Trespass Act 2 1 Hunting & Trapping 0 0 Water Bylaw 1 0 Clearing of Sidewalks 86 0 TOTAL 650 1085

92 - $230 tickets and 79 warnings were issued for expired licence plates.

164 - $57 tickets were issued for improper parallel parking, the greatest percentage of Traffic

Safety Act tickets.

302 - $30 tickets were issued for parking contrary to a sign (no parking or stopping), the greatest

percentage of Traffic and Streets Bylaw tickets.

Tickets issued under the Taxi Bylaw show a small increase over the preceding year.

727 “positive tickets” were issued, an increase of 62% over the preceding year. A positive ticket

is a way of recognizing people in the community with a small reward such as a coupon for a

movie rental or coffee who were observed complying with Bylaws. Examples of these are kids

placing trash in waste bins at the skateboard park, dog owner’s picking up their dogs poop or

skateboarders walking with their skateboard

downtown.


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Patrols

Community Peace Officers are on patrol as soon as they step foot out of the office. Aside from

enforcement duties, officers present a uniform presence throughout the community, take opportunities

to engage the citizenry, and educate individuals whenever appropriate. Patrols are conducted by patrol

vehicle, bicycle, and on foot. Dedicated patrols are split and tracked in five categories. Community Peace

Officers are on the lookout for some of the following infractions while conducting patrols:

CP Trespassing - People crossing the CP train tracks in Town.

Downtown-Parking infractions including vehicles parked in no parking zones, on crosswalks and over the

2 hour time limit. Bicycles on sidewalks, skateboarding in the downtown core, and businesses who have

failed to remove the snow on sidewalks. An increased officer presence at special events and Mountain

Market days.

Parks-Illegal campsites, dogs off leash or in prohibited areas, open liquor and disobeying signs (ex: no

climbing on the Old Engine Bridge).

Schools-Parking infractions, unsafe pedestrian crossings and bicycle safety.

Bike Patrols – these patrols offer officers an opportunity to cover areas of town not accessible by

vehicle, and to increase officer presence on trails and in parks.

The vast majority of CP trespassing patrols resulted in trespass offences being prevented due to

officer’s presence.

Of the 115 downtown patrols conducted, 36 were for 2 hour parking. As a result of these

patrols, 152 park over posted time limit tickets were issued with 81% of them being issued to

locals.

CPTrespassing

Downtown Parks Schools Bike

Number of patrols 226 151 2090 183 121

Hours spent 88 122 715 65 270

0

500

1000

1500

2000

2500

Number of patrols

Hours spent


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Investigations

Investigations occur when someone contacts the office to report an infraction (reactive) or when an

officer observes an offence (proactive) that requires additional follow up. Patrols, warnings and tickets

are not counted as investigations.

The total number of investigations for 2012 was 2354, a 10% increase from 2011 (2140)

Of the 2354 investigations conducted 72% or 1688 were “Reactive Investigations” (complaint

generated) and the remaining 28% or 666 were “Proactive Investigations”.

47% of the department’s investigative files in 2012 were split between animal control and traffic

and streets investigations, which are consistent with statistics from previous years.

Animal Control 30%

Assist Other Agency

3%

Clearing of Sidewalks

7%

Court 6%

Land Use 2%

Lost and Found

9% Noise

2%

Other 4%

Parking 8%

Parks 2%

Taxi 7%

Traffic and Streets 17%

Waste 3%

Investigations by category


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Dog and Cat Impounds

The main goal when dealing with found dogs and cats is to return them to their home as soon as

possible. When required, dogs and cats are placed in the Town’s kennel facility where they are cared for

by contracted service providers. Generally found animals are kept for up to 72 hours and when an

owner cannot be identified, they are surrendered to the Bow Valley SPCA so that they can be adopted

out to a new home.

39% of the time or 143 days in 2012 the kennel had one or more animals housed within it.

20 dogs were given a “free ride home”, which means either the officer drove the dog home or

kept it for up to 24 hours without charging any fees as a result of it being licensed in Town.

Dogs only receive one free ride home per year.

68

18

8 10

Dogs Cats

Impounded Surrendered


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Special Initiatives:

Bylaw Services Staff placed an emphasis on increasing the number of dogs licensed in Canmore,

employing both educational and public relations efforts. This initiative resulted in a total of 1452

dogs being licensed in 2012, an increase of 149 over 2011 (1303). 313 dog owners opted for the

three year dog licence option during the renewal process in 2012.

Bylaw services conducted a graffiti survey (inventory) during November 2012. The purpose of

this survey was to establish a benchmark count of graffiti tags, and to ascertain the extent of the

issue in Canmore. While there was no previous benchmark established for comparison

purposes, officers made the observation that some businesses, especially in the down town

area, have been proactive in covering or removing graffiti.


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Photo Radar

The Canmore RCMP is responsible for ensuring that the photo radar program is compliant with

guidelines set out by the Province. The Protective Services Manager assists the RCMP by conducting

monthly reviews of statistics, responding to citizen request for more enforcement or new zones and

submitting quarterly and annual reports to the Alberta Solicitor General and Public Security. All net

proceeds of the program are placed in the Town’s Photo Radar Reserve which is intended to fund

expenses related to any policing and or traffic safety initiative deemed appropriate by Council.

Total Violations 2007-2012

Of the 5371 violations in 2012, 44% were issued to Canmore residents, which is consistent with

2011.

During 2011 there were 36 photo radar locations in Canmore.

2007* denotes 9 months of enforcement.

7251

8315

6173 6084 5570 5371

2007* 2008 2009 2010 2011 2012


bylaw services annual report 2013

Documents

streets bylaw tickets

waste bylaw

taxi bylaw

parks bylaw

noise bylaw

water bylaw

bylaw services supervisor

land use bylaw