Garbage placed curbside for weekly collection in Montrose must henceforth be contained in a garbage can, after council amended its waste management and wildlife attractant bylaw last week.
Coun. Rory Steep says this proactive measure is to prevent luring in wildlife such as bears, coyotes and raccoons as well as those always curious crows.
“We didn’t have it specifically listed that garbage had to be in cans, so we updated the bylaw to add that to the list,” Steep says. “We want to make sure people are using garbage cans to minimize the attractants.”
Under the amended bylaw, for collection purposes, all garbage must be placed in garbage bags (30” x 36” and not to exceed 44 lbs) and subsequently placed in a container.
As well, garbage containers should be curbside by 7:30 a.m. on day of collection, but not before 4:30 a.m. the day of collection.
It is the responsibility of the owner or occupier of the property to ensure the garbage container and garbage bags are in good condition; it is the responsibility of the owner or occupier of the property to ensure that any garbage strewn or scattered by animals is cleaned up.
After tweaking one bylaw, council then moved to put a new bylaw — The Good Neighbour Bylaw — officially in the books.
After starting discussions with municipal staff on this bylaw in 2022, council hired a consultant company the following year. Last summer, the village gathered community insight for the Good Neighbour Bylaw project, which essentially puts nuisance complaints under one enforcement umbrella.
“There have been a number of incidents between neighbours that we had to get involved with,” explains Steep. “And then, with quite a turnover of new people coming into the village, we thought it would be important for them to at least be aware of some of the values of the past residents of the village, like keeping your yard neat and looking out for each other, that kind of stuff.”
Part of the goal was to make these guidelines tangible for new residents, he adds.
“So it just felt right to have it under a full bylaw rather than individuals ones and then that way … we could give this to new residents so they are aware of them.”
Many B.C. municipalities have Good Neighbor Bylaws, including Kimberley, Kelowna, Penticton, Merritt and Williams Lake.
The bylaw regulates a variety of potential nuisances such as excessive noise/obnoxious odors and fumes, unsightly premises, derelict properties, fireworks, open fire burning, illegal dumping, parking, and wildlife/attractants: issues that can cause problems with other residents and/or neighbors.
In other words, the purpose is to have one place where residents can refer to what is, and what isn’t, allowed.
With Montrose’s Good Neighbour Bylaw now on record, the village is investing $1,500 to roll out an awareness campaign.
“The outcome was to create a simple platform for informing residents as to the community bylaws and policies that village councils have adopted over the past 40 years, to help establish the community standards we have today,” Larry Plotnikoff, Montrose’s chief administrator, told the Trail Times.
As part of this process, a “Good Neighbor Guide” has also been developed in conjunction with the bylaw, which will be made available to all residents over the next month.
The guide is a simplified, easy to follow booklet that gives a broader overview as to the Montrose bylaws and policies that help in being a good neighbor.
“All residents will have the opportunity to see what those consolidated bylaws and policies are that created, and are part of, our community standards,” Plotnikoff adds.
“If they have any questions, we certainly hope they let us know.”
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