The Township of Carling is looking at adjusting the way residents can dispute any fines issued for contravening a municipal bylaw.
At a committee meeting on March 24, Bylaw Enforcement Officer Gord Harrison presented a report to council regarding the implementation of a new administrative monetary penalty system, which will allow the municipality to enforce a range of bylaws – including animal control, signage, noise, parking and property standards – entirely at the municipal level.
“Currently if we need to impose a fine and the person who gets the fine wants to fight that, it goes to Provincial Offences Court. That’s problematic these days because Provincial Offences is full and funding it difficult to deal with all of the charges before them,” said Harrison. “The province set this up to take municipal bylaw (charges) out of that mix.
According to Lewis, the municipality hasn’t issued any bylaw fines, aside from parking tickets, over the past 10 years. He says staff work with residents towards compliance.
“When we find someone who is not compliant, we notify them and we work towards that compliances…through a number of means,” said Harrison. “We do negotiate…there is a little bit of give and take.”
Harrison said the new system is only for the rare instance when the Township and resident are unable to come to an agreement.
Under the new system, disputed infractions are reviewed by a screening officer and then, if necessary, a dispute resolution meeting is overseen by a hearing officer.
According to the report to council, if the new process if approved, Carling would look to hire an outside paralegal to serve as the hearing officer. The report states that the first choice is “a knowledgeable individual who is free of potential conflicts due to familiarity with parties involved.”
Council will discuss the new system further at the April 28th Committee of the Whole meeting.
The complete staff report to council can be viewed here.
