Busy Bylaw Department

PRINCE GEORGE – Most people think Bylaw Services takes care of parking violators and animal control. But this past year, the department has taken on a much broader role, with the number of Bylaw Officers in the division increasing from 17 to 21, the hours of service have expanded from 10 hours a day to 16 hours a day and for the first time in many years the entire department, which includes Animal Control, Parking Control, and Bylaw Enforcement are all housed under the roof of City Hall. The reallocation of funds earlier in the year was used to double the size of the Downtown Team.

And they had had the new Safe Streets Bylaw for the latter half of the year. The first 6 months of this new bylaw were intended to highlight education, in the future, escalation up to and including ticketing may occur, to ensure compliance is achieved. Since September 1, 2021 there have been 345 complaints made under the Safe Streets Bylaw.

“Basically what the Safe Streets Bylaw did was set a standard of behaviour,” explains Charlotte Peters, Manager of Bylaw Services. “t gave the Bylaw Officers the ability to educate folks on what that standard is. So what’s acceptable and what isn’t acceptable in and around the City of Prince George. That was the intent from the start. And I think it’s really important for people to realize we haven’t gone out and written tickets to folks.”