Noise Bylaw Needs Fine Tuning

Coldstream Council is still working on putting together a proper noise bylaw.

The proposed bylaw was to have gone through three reading at council this week, but was incomplete and Mayor Jim Garlick hopes to have it brought back for the next meeting.

He wants staff to get a proper sound metre and testing done.

“We’re also talking about the idea of directional so that you have an idea that you’re not picking up the highway behind you and the noisemaker in front of you sort of thing. You want to be able to focus it more.”

Garlick says they don’t want to rush the bylaw through because it has to be done right.

He says staff putting together the bylaw have been working off a borrowed bylaw that doesn’t reflect the community.

“What we need to do is go and see in a more thorough way than what we have previously, what the readings are in the community and then make a decision from that how we proceed.”

Garlick says the last thing they need is to come out with something, and then have to amend it later.

Agricultural noise won’t be included in the bylaw because that falls under provincial jurisdiction.

“For the majority of Coldstream, farm noise could be what ever they wish, through helicopters, spraying, other things that we have no control over.”

Garlick says up until now, dealing with noise complaints has been subjective with a bylaw officer just going out and making a judgement call.

There would be public input before the bylaw is put in place.