Watch above: It may be a little less irritating to the pet owner but a barking dog or loud meowing cat can be a nuisance to others. Today Saskatoon city councillors at a planning committee meeting supported a more efficient and effective complaint process for noisy pets disturbing the neighbourhood. Aaron Streck has the story.
SASKATOON – The City of Saskatoon’s current process for handling nuisance barking or howling complaints requires neighbors to keep at least a five-day log, establishing evidence prior to a ticket being issued.
“If they have already kept evidence over a number of weeks or months of continuing problems they’ve had then that’s something we would review and proceed with a ticket immediately,” said Cindy Yelland, the city’s planning and development law director.
A proposal to make it easier for neighbours to report noisy pets received unanimous support from a city committee Monday.
“I think there have just been some complaints to councillors with respect to how some complainants felt the process was too onerous, we have had charges of this nature since the bylaw was created and I don’t think the level of charges has really increased one way or another since the creation, it’s just maybe time to review the process and have a look at it,” said Yelland.
While the provisions of the bylaw remain the same right now, the changes could come in the criteria around some of the factors determining what would be considered a nuisance.
“Proximity to sleeping facilities, its time of the day, duration of the barking or howling, it’s the volume, it’s whether it’s recurrent, intermittent, constant,” said Yelland.
READ MORE: Saskatoon police helping motorcyclists adhere to noise bylaw
In 2014, the Saskatoon Animal Control Agency received 244 howling and barking complaints which resulted in 69 warnings and 19 tickets after seven-day logs; a first time offence comes with a $100 fine.
Complaints aren’t expected to increase.
“It may result in a few more charges in certain circumstances but I think you’ll find that in cases where there was extreme barking the charges were warranted that those complainants were pretty driven to follow the process already,” said Yelland.
The new rules are subject to council approval later this month.
More nuisance barking and howling complaints may have been received by police after Saskatoon Animal Control Agency hours.
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