Latest news with #bylaw
CTV News
a day ago
- General
- CTV News
Wilmot considering fireworks bylaw changes
The Township of Wilmot will review recommendations for a new fireworks bylaw at Monday night's council meeting. Four suggestions have been put forward by township staff. The first involves reducing the number of days fireworks are permitted. Under the current bylaw, they are only allowed on unspecified holidays, as well as one day before and after. The recommendation would define those holidays, including Victoria Day, Canada Day, Diwali and the Lunar New Year. The second recommendation would setting specific times for firework displays, a stipulation the township does not currently have. The staff report explained setting a standard expectation would benefit those who want to avoid fireworks. The next suggestion is one that has already been debated in both Kitchener and Waterloo. The report proposes banning the sale of fireworks in the township starting in 2026. The last recommendation is to increase fines for firework-related infractions from $150 to $250, to $500. Community comparison Wilmot is not the only community taking another look at its firework bylaws Cambridge, Kitchener, Waterloo, North Dumfries, Wellesley and Woolwich have been working together to review restrictions, management and enforcement. Here's how things stand as of June 2, 2025:
CBC
7 days ago
- Health
- CBC
Designating parks for legal drinking pilot to be left up to councillors
Legal drinking is set to debut in some Ottawa parks this summer, after a city committee unanimously approved a four-month pilot project Tuesday. With some restrictions on timing and location, drinking will be allowed in parks chosen by the city councillor who represents the area. If it passes at council, the pilot project will run from July 1 to Oct. 31. "As long as people properly dispose of their cans and are not acting in a way that is harmful to other people, I really don't care what they are consuming," Troster said at the committee meeting. "We should be quite clear that this is a bylaw that is largely not being enforced unless there are other factors involved, whether it's harassment, public intoxication, music, yelling — and there are other bylaws and laws for those things." Drinking in Ottawa public parks could be allowed this summer The current bylaw prohibits anyone from possessing alcoholic drinks in parks, except at events with a proper permit. Menard introduced a motion last year to launch a pilot program, citing other cities where alcohol consumption is allowed in designated parks, such as Toronto. Ottawa's pilot project will limit the legal consumption of alcohol to between the hours of 11 a.m. and 9 p.m. It will also forbid drinking within five metres of playgrounds, parking lots, beaches and sports fields. Bylaw not expecting uptick in complaints Roger Chapman, the city's director of bylaw and regulatory services, said he isn't expecting to see a significant increase in bylaw complaints related to drinking in parks after the pilot comes into effect. "It will be more of the responsible consumption of alcohol, where you have families or couples that are visiting parks and picnicking," he said. But both Ottawa Public Health and the Ottawa Police Service voiced concerns with the proposed bylaw. In a letter, Ottawa police Chief Eric Stubbs said "permitting alcohol consumption in public parks presents risks that could compromise public safety and strain our resources." A letter from Ottawa Public Health (OPH) discussed the risks of underage drinking, and the link between alcohol consumption and several types of cancer. At Tuesday's meeting, Trevor Arnason, interim medical officer of health at OPH, raised the possibility of broken bottles on beaches. "Of course, with water, you have the potential for drownings if people are intoxicated," he added. Rules on climbing trees dropped The city made other changes to its parks bylaw, which was enacted in 2004. Previous rules that have been stripped from the updated bylaw include a ban on kids climbing trees, and a prohibition on the use of canes on ice rinks, said Dan Chenier, the city's general manager of recreation, cultural and facility services. "We've deliberately taken an approach to try to be more permissive," Chenier said. The bylaw review goes to council for final approval on June 11.
CBC
26-05-2025
- General
- CBC
Are backyard fires allowed in Windsor? Here's what you need to know
CBC's Chris Ensing explains what's allowed and what's not when it comes to having a fire in your backyard in Windsor — and what kind of fines you could face if you violate the bylaw.
CTV News
22-05-2025
- Politics
- CTV News
Toronto City Council passes ‘bubble zone' bylaw to limit protests around vulnerable institutions
Toronto City Council has voted to create a bylaw that would limit protests outside places of worship and other vulnerable institutions on a case-by-case basis. The motion would create a 50-metre buffer around the spaces following an application from the property owner and would be in effect for a year, subject to renewal. The motion passed 16-9, with a slew of amendments, following several hours of debate. The original bylaw proposal written by the city manager called for a buffer of 20 metres to be created for a period of about six months, if an institution attested that it had been subject to a protest that 'impeded' access to the property in the previous 90 days. Council rejected a proposal to increase the buffer to 100 metres, but did pass a motion from Coun. James Pasternak to increase it to 50 metres. Council also passed a slew of motions from Coun. Rachel Chernos-Lin to increase the initial coverage time from six months to a year; to drop the requirement of having been previously targeted; and to request police support for bylaw officers charged with enforcing the rules. The bylaw will limit protests outside places of worship and other places like hospitals, schools, daycares and libraries if requested by the owners of those facilities. The city said it would need to spend $1.6 million for 12 bylaw officers to enforce the rules. Another $200,000 would go towards public education. Those who break the bylaw could face a fine of up to $5,000. The bylaw will go into effect on July 2. Council sees passionate debate The city manager was asked to craft the bylaw, in consultation with the city solicitor, in Dec. 2024. Since then, a number of public consultations were held to gather input for the proposal. Sixty-three per cent of respondents said they were either strongly unsupportive or somewhat unsupportive of the law. Speaking before council on Wednesday, Mayor Olivia Chow acknowledged that the city has to balance competing priorities. 'On one hand, there are community concerns around attending places of worship and a lot of fear for their safety. On the other hand, we have to protect the Charter rights to freely assemble and expression,' she said. Protests in the city have increased in the wake of the Israel-Hamas war and Toronto police said earlier this year that they responded to 2,000 'unplanned events' in 2024. It's unclear how many of those protests took place outside of the institutions described in the bylaw. Coun. James Pasternak, speaking at city hall, said he believes the law would not impact freedom of speech. 'It doesn't take any rights away. It doesn't take away the right to protest, the right to picket, or the right to free speech. And all it's doing is extending rights to those who want to walk into vulnerable institutions,' he said Wednesday. Coun. Brad Bradford echoed those remarks, calling the bylaw an 'additional tool' that could help 'clear out and protect' places of worship that he says have been targeted with hate, harassment, intimidation and violence. Several councillors said they had heard from constituents who said they no longer feel safe in some parts of the city because of some of the protests. Meanwhile, Coun. Gord Perks argued that 'everybody has the right to express themselves.' 'If we don't encourage the right to protest, we lose all the democratic rights that have been built up in Canada over time,' he said. Coun. Chris Moise said he was 'concerned' the bylaw could violate people's Charter rights. As such, he put forward his own motion to defer a vote on the proposed bylaw until Ottawa introduces a federal bill related to accessing places of worship, something Prime Minister Mark Carney said he would table in the run up to last month's election. The motion was defeated. Similar bylaws have been passed in Vaughan and Brampton, after large-scale, and in some cases violent, protests broke out near synagogues and temples, respectively, last year. Those bylaws limit protests to 100 metres from a place of worship and owners of those institutions do not need to apply for an access area to be established.
CBC
22-05-2025
- Politics
- CBC
Toronto passes bylaw to restrict protests around places of worship, schools
Toronto city councillors have officially passed a bylaw to limit protests around institutions like schools and places of worship. CBC's Lane Harrison breaks down the decision that followed a heated debate.
