Off road vehicle bylaw discussed at council
Sharon McLeay
Times Contributor
Chief Administrative Officer (CAO) for Wheatland County Alan Parkin asked council for direction in the further development of the off road vehicle bylaw that protective services is drafting. Staff had questions about using the name of “Snow Angel” to describe activities, as that term only applied to manual shovelling, and they questioned the legality of applying the name to the bylaw. They were also unsure if a specialized exemption, for snow ploughing with ATV’s, would require ministerial approval. They also wanted clarification as to what off road vehicles should be included in the bylaw.
“It might be asking too much of staff. Council should be making the decision. The County is not just a sidewalk in a hamlet. We need to come to grips with it and develop the bylaw,” said Reeve Glenn Koester.
Councillors indicated that the Municipal Act didn’t exclude the use of ATV’s, but there were restrictions mandating use in daylight hours, with proper licensing and insurance. They said the parts pertaining to snow removal activity could be called something else.
It was questioned that the act indicated off road vehicles were only covered on 3 digit highway designations. They also said that the issues of snow removal did not just pertain to one hamlet, because all hamlets had the same issues. Parkin said that it was an issue of concern in many counties across Alberta.
“If they use them on county gravel roads to herd livestock, we are told we have to stop them,” said Sgt. Cyr
“Recreation is one thing and farming another. It doesn’t say we can’t create a bylaw to fit this situation,” said Councillor Alice Booth. “If we are doing this for people who move snow, what about people chasing cows, doing work and mowing grass with ride-on lawnmowers?”
Councillor Ben Armstrong said that the bylaw had to be for everyone and indicated the references to fencing would also have to be modified, to pertain to situations within the hamlet.
Councillor Don Vander Velde said he would like to see the government expand the registration process for alternate uses of the ATV vehicles. Others responded they could only deal within County mandates and it was not only ATV vehicles but trucks with blades that were used in some hamlets.
CAO Parkin advised that staff could draft the bylaw for first reading. council could rescind the old bylaw, or could review the new bylaw and approve it in spirit, allowing it to go to public hearing for ratepayer input. It was anticipated that the Public Hearing would occur in June 2013. Staff was directed to continue developing the bylaw and bring it back to council in May for first reading.
Swelling the ranks
Ben Mendoza, Community Peace Officer-Level Two, was approved by council to take the Peace Officer Induction Course held in the summer of 2013. The course cost will be approximately $3650 plus mileage. If passed, the certification will advance Mendoza’s status to Level One, so that he can operate at that level under the Solicitor General’s purview.
“It will allow him to cover moving violations and would be an efficient move for the County,” said Sgt. Cyr.
Council asked what contingencies were, on the off chance that Mendoza tendered his resignation in the near future. Cyr replied that there were policies in place that could require a payback by employees.
Reciprocal action
The Town of Strathmore is requesting assistance from County Peace Officers to patrol during the Alberta Cup Hockey games held April 25-28. Cyr said that the man-hours would come out of County authorized overtime pay, budgeted for 2013.
“Some of our ratepayers will be attending the event and Strathmore is good at reciprocating when the need arises,” said Sgt. Cyr.
Council approved the Peace Officers coverage of the event.
Protective services report
Monthly reports showed Peace Officers busy last month with one traffic check stop, one overweight violation, one assist to RCMP, two SPCA calls, 12 animal complaints, one noise complaint, five environmental investigations, and six issues requiring general reporting. Sgt. Jeff Cyr notified council that there was a request by someone on the Siksika Reserve to deal with an animal at large. Officers referred the matter to Siksika Chief and council, so that the appropriate Siksika resources could deal with the matter.