Kimberley Bylaw and Animal Control had a busy month in February, reporting many complaints about snow, streets and traffic, animal feeding and dogs at large or off leash.
Kimberley City Council discussed the most recent bylaw and animal control reports at a regular meeting on Monday, March 11.
The report shows that there were three complaints of deer feeding in February, all of which are currently under investigation. There were 38 complaints about streets and traffic, 11 for snow on the street, eight for failure to remove snow on sidewalks and eight dogs at large or off leash.
Mayor Don McCormick says wether it’s frozen water lines, snow removal or wildlife, all complaints should go to the operations desk. That way, he says, the complaints are properly documented and dealt with accordingly.
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“Our complaint desk is the operations desk. First and foremost, [people] need to file a complaint with the operations desk. It’s important that happens because if not, those calls don’t get logged and they can’t get acted on. The issue will be resolved much more quickly than if we [Councillors] intervene,” said McCormick.
In terms of wildlife, Councillor Darryl Oakley says he is disappointed to see deer feeding complaints still arising, but is happy that Bylaw Officer Kim Tuff is taking action.
Corporate Officer Maryse Leroux says that it’s difficult for bylaw to ticket those who are feeding wildlife because they need to be caught in the act.
“It’s really hard we because we basically have to catch them in the act… we need proof if it went to court,” she said.
Councillor Jason McBain asked if there have been many complaints about feeding turkeys, as they seem to be active in the community.
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“There were definitely a lot of complaints last year,” said Leroux, “but we are watching that closely.”
CAO Scott Sommerville says it’s important to recognize the difference between the complaints department and bylaw.
“We don’t have any bylaws regarding turkeys or wildlife,” said Sommerville. “But there were about 37 turkeys [in my yard] on the weekend.”
If you have a bylaw or animal control related issue, call the operations desk at 250.427.9660 or email operations@kimberley.ca.
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