Kimberley City Council is reminding residents to follow bylaw and animal control protocols after several complaints were outlined in the monthly animal and bylaw reports at a City Council meeting on Monday.
In the report to Council, bylaw officer Kim Tuff said that she would like to remind residents that feeding deer is strictly prohibited in the City of Kimberley.
READ MORE: Feeding deer still an issue in Kimberley
“If you suspect someone in your neighbourhood is feeding deer, please call the bylaw officer and complete a formal written bylaw complaint form,” wrote Tuff. “This is an important step in the enforcement process.”
There were two complaint investigations regarding deer feeding in the month of October, and they are both still under investigation.
Council discussed the report, with Councillor Kyle Dalum saying it’s important to ensure no one is feeding the deer.
“It doesn’t help the deer, it only hinders them. We do need to remind people that it’s prohibited,” he said.
Another issue that bylaw is having revolves around residents keeping materials on boulevards outside of their properties.
18 complaints were filed towards people keeping materials on boulevards, with 11 written notices and seven written letters sent out. Tuff says that compliance was achieved in most cases, however it still needs to be addressed.
“The City of Kimberley boulevards are designed for the purpose of snow storage in winter months. It is important to ensure that personal private property is stored off of the boulevard on your own property,” she wrote. “The bylaw enforcement officer has noticed many addresses in town placing markers to outline what they believe to be their own property boundaries. In most cases, these markers are placed on City boulevards and can cause harm to the public, staff and City snow removal equipment if they are buried in the snow while snow plowing operations are in progress.”
She adds that residents can confirm their property lines by visiting planning.kimberley.ca.
READ MORE: Report recommends City look at RV parking bylaw
Mayor Don McCormick says that tickets may soon have to be issued for people who are not complying to bylaw and animal control regulations. He adds that fines tend to have a better impact on behaviour than education alone.
“The pocket book may be the only thing to change this behaviour and we might have to start issuing more tickets,” he said. “Kim tries to council people out of their behaviour [before issuing a ticket], but not everyone responds to the education.”
Corporate Officer Maryse Leroux explained that her and Tuff are currently working on adjusting or reviewing many of the City’s bylaws. In one instance, with parking violations, they have seen a lot of success because of evidence being acquired.
“Parking tickets have been successful because we take a picture of the violation and it can’t be argued,” she said.
Another issue for animal control is dog owners not properly cleaning up after their pets. This tends becomes more of an issue in the winter months because of the snow. Come spring, the snow melts and dog excrement is left behind.
“It was brought to the attention of the animal control officer that there are many days when City employees are having to clean up dog excrement in the platzl,” wrote Tuff. “In accordance with the City of Kimberley Animal Control Bylaw 2544, section 29, a person must immediately clean up after their dog.”
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