The District of Squamish is moving ahead with updates to two of its bylaw enforcement tools to fix inconsistencies that have been preventing officers from issuing fines for certain building violations.
At the June 2 meeting, Council unanimously approved to carry forward amendments to the Bylaw Notice Enforcement Bylaw and the Municipal Ticket Information Bylaw. The changes are administrative and aim to bring the bylaws in line with the District’s Building Bylaw.
Currently, Bylaw Screening Officers have been unable to issue certain fines because section numbers and penalty entries in the enforcement bylaws do not match those in the Building Bylaw, making some tickets legally problematic. The fixes include correcting section references, removing duplicate entries, and eliminating a reduced penalty option that could be triggered through a compliance agreement.
Staff say removing the reduced penalty option will simplify administration, ensure fairness, and prevent the enforcement process from being derailed after officers have already gone through the proper steps.They said the District’s approach prioritizes education and working with residents to achieve voluntary compliance before any fines are issued.
“This is an iterative, ongoing process with all of our bylaws to ensure that we’re consistent across the board.” said Mayor Armand Hurford. “Hopefully this will be easier and simpler for everyone to use, both staff and the public.”
The bylaws will return to council for final adoption on June 16.
