A high-pitched alarm that runs day and night to deter people from loitering on a street in downtown Vancouver is also driving area residents mad.
A so-called “mosquito alarm” mounted in a parking garage on Seymour St. between Smithe and Robson Streets emits a high-pitched squeal.
While such devices are legal in Canada, Bradley Friesen, who lives across the street from the garage, says he is sick of the non-stop noise.
“When you take the dog out for a walk and you go back upstairs you can still hear it ringing in your ears for the next half-hour,” he said.
“It gets right in there and stays with you. It has an engineered purpose and it’s a very sinister and very inhumane way of treating people.”
Friesen points out that his dogs are particularly sensitive to the high-pitched screech.
“He doesn’t like it one bit. I have to drag him past this area,” Friesen said.
The purpose of the alarm seems to be to keep people from loitering around the entrance of the garage. Global News contacted operators WestPark, but has yet to receive a response.
Global News also contacted the City of Vancouver to see if any noise bylaws were being broken. They sent down a property use inspector and contacted the management company, asking them to turn off the alarm.
If the problem persists, Meghan McDermott of the B.C. Civil Liberties Association said those affected “could try to get an injunction against it and sue for damages.”
Friesen, for one, says he’s had enough.
“It’s despicable that you would treat people like this indiscriminately… There is a problem here, but this isn’t the way to deal with it,” he said.
— With files from Jennifer Palma
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