Grand Forks' court hears growing bylaw dispute

A bylaw dispute between a West Boundary resort and the Regional District of Kootenay Boundary (RDKB) heated up at Grand Forks provincial court Tuesday, July 27.

The dispute dates back to last fall, when an RDKB bylaw officer began investigating alleged zoning and rural land use violations at Greenwood’s Jewel Lake Resort (JLR). The regional district last month petitioned the provincial court, under B.C.’s Offence Act, seeking enforcement of 18 bylaw tickets issued in May to the resort’s address at 200 Jewel Ave., according to RDKB spokesperson Frances Maika.

The RDKB is now asking the court to enforce 16 more bylaw tickets issued to the same address, on June 3 and July 6, Judge Marianne Armstrong heard.

Armstrong then read the RDKB’s allegations onto the record. The new tickets stem from alleged violations of the RDKB’s building bylaw and its Jewel Lake rural land use bylaw. Specifically, the regional district alleges that the registered property owners twice ignored a bylaw officer’s “do not occupy” orders posted to a deck allegedly built at the resort without a permit.

Next, the RDKB contends that JLR is running a commercial campground on a resort meadow, allegedly in violation of the Jewel Lake rural land use bylaw. The rest of the new tickets cover alleged building bylaw and rural land use bylaws involving two resort cabins, one of which the RDKB says was put too close to a stream, Armstrong said.

JLR was represented in court by registered property owners Zenia and Irene Steiger. Judge Armstrong adjourned the case until Aug. 24 so that they could seek legal counsel.

The Steigers have put three previous bylaw tickets to the RDKB’s adjudication process and are not disputing seven others, the court heard.

None of the RDKB’s allegations have been proven in court.

@ltritsch1 laurie.tritschler@grandforksgazette.caLike us on Facebook and follow us on Twitter.