WATCH: After numerous noise complaints, the city of Richmond is contemplating banning construction on Sundays as several other Metro Vancouver municipalities have already done. Jill Bennett reports.
It seems construction work is taking place everywhere you look in Richmond, but it could soon be banned on Sundays after the city received a number of noise complaints.
“The number of formal complaints until mid-May was something like 35 to 40 complaints,” said Richmond Mayor Malcolm Brodie.
Brodie says construction restrictions on Sundays has been on the radar for some time. If approved, the current rules allowing construction on Sundays and statutory holidays between the hours of 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. would be nixed.
Many other jurisdictions do not allow commercial construction on Sundays, but some argue reduced hours will lead to increased costs.
“To eliminate it completely means it’s going to raise the cost of construction,” said Phil Hochstein, president of the the Independent Contractors and Businesses Association of B.C. “Construction projects are going to take longer, meaning longer finance periods for the developer and for the buyer. Nobody really wins. While I appreciate the temporary inconvenience, it is temporary.”
Brodie acknowledge the potential for increased costs, but says it’s possible to find solutions.
“You’ve got all these hours Monday through Saturday,” said Brodie. “By some very careful and extended scheduling, can you make up for the lost time on Sunday?”
The suggested changes would also increase the fine for breaking the bylaw from $2,000 to $10,000.
Hochstein says “the rules should be set properly” and that there “should be consequences” for not following rules.
That question of fairness will likely also be raised when council considers the bylaw change. Compared to the 36 construction noise complaints made so far this year in Richmond, there have been 484 complaints in Vancouver where there are no plans to change the hours.
-With files from Jill Bennett
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