The Town of Quispamsis, N.B., has voted in favour of a flyer distribution bylaw, which will allow residents to opt of receiving them and will carry some stiff maximum fines.
Mayor Libby O’Hara said council had begun receiving complaints about flyers, with some saying they’d got trapped or did damage to snowblowers, others concerned about the environmental impact.
It put out an online survey garnering 200 responses.
“We asked the question: do you want to keep flyers or do you want to get rid of them,” she explained in an interview Wednesday.
“So, 70 per cent of the people said that they would like to opt out, that they don’t want them, and then the other 30 per cent said, ‘I like getting flyers.’”
She said of the 30 per cent who want to continue with them, many expressed not wanting to have to use technology to access their grocery flyers. O’Hara said it can be a particular challenge for older people living in the community.
The bylaw requires those who don’t want flyers to post an 11-by-12 sign that is clearly visible, saying ‘no flyers’.
A minimum fine is $140, with maximum fines reaching $2,100. If a fine has already been issued, but residents who have chosen to opt out still receive them, the town will apply another maximum fine.
It would be billed to the distributor, but say it could even apply to the delivery person.
Staff within the municipality will be the point of contact for complaints about flyer delivery.
“The important thing will be now to ensure that people who are opting out of receiving flyers create a little sign or get one from town hall and post it so that it is visible to the flyer delivery service,” O’Hara said.
Coun. Kirk Miller was the only one to vote against the new bylaw.
In a statement, he said: “I voted against the flyer distribution bylaw because I believe they should be allowed to be put on driveways, just like newspapers. That being said, I respect our process and the will of Council.”
The City of Saint John has a similar bylaw in effect, and the Town of Rothesay will visit the third reading of their flyer distribution bylaw this month.
Comments