Prince Edward County is preparing to update the noise by-law.
During Thursday’s Committee of the Whole meeting, councillors discussed some planned updates to the noise by-law.
In a report to the committee, municipal staff outlined some difficulties with the current by-law. One problem was that fees for noise permits were prohibitively high for non-profits attempting to hold fundraising events, and only council could waive those fees. One recommended change was to allow the chief administrative officer to waive those fees in certain circumstances.
Another update being considered was changing the law from penalizing only the person making the noise, to including property owners or event organizers who allow people to make noise, in order to ensure event hosts or short-term accommodation providers are taking steps to prevent noise.
The committee discussed the by-law briefly. During that discussion, an amendment was proposed to direct the Director of Corporate and Legislative Services to collaborate with Good Neighbours Together, a group representing concerned county residents, to explore additional improvements to the noise by-law. Council also heard a public comment from representatives from Good Neighbors Together, who praised the proposed changes and suggested more could be done.
That amendment would pass, and the committee then voted to approve the amended by-law. The new by-law was then sent to council for final approval at a future meeting.
