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Bylaw Services Annual Report - 2012 The Town of Canmore Bylaw Services Department is responsible for the enforcement of selected Town Bylaws and Provincial Statues. Officers are available to respond to complaints between the hours of 7:30am and 6:00pm 7 days a week. During the summer months officers work sporadic shifts until 9:00pm with a dedicated focus on parks and trail patrols. This report highlights statistical information from 2012 including warnings and tickets, patrols, investigations, domestic animal impounds, photo radar and provides an overview of the department.
Department The department consists of three Community Peace Officers and one administrative assistant that report to the Bylaw Services Supervisor (who also holds a Community Peace Officer appointment). The job duties of the supervisor include a requirement to work as much as possible in the field. Community Peace Officers hold dual appointments that grant them the authority to enforce Bylaws and Provincial Statutes. Bylaw Enforcement Officer Appointments are issued by the CAO for the enforcement of the Business Registry, Clearing of Sidewalks, Domestic Animal Control, Hunting & Trapping, Land Use (enforcement sections only), Noise, Parks, Water & Sewer, Smoking Control, Taxi, Traffic Street & Sidewalk Waste Control, and False Alarm Bylaws. Community Peace Officer Appointments are issued by the Alberta Solicitor General for the enforcement of the Animal Protection Act, Dangerous Dog Act, Gaming & Liquor Act (limited to Section 89(1) Using/Consuming Liquor in a Public Place), Petty Trespass Act, Tobacco Reduction Act and Traffic Safety Act (limited to non-moving violations only).
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Bylaw Services 2012 Annual Report | Town of Canmore
Commitee of the Whole 2013.02.12 at 1 p.m.
Page 88 of 100
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Warnings and Tickets During 2012 a total of 1735 warnings and tickets were issued, an increase of 29% over the preceding year. Warnings and tickets result from investigations or offences that are observed while on patrol.
Bylaw/Provincial Animal StatuteControl Bylaw Traffic and Streets Traffic Bylaw Safety Act Waste Bylaw Taxi Bylaw Land Use Bylaw Noise Bylaw Parks Bylaw Business Registry Bylaw Gaming & Liquor Act Petty Trespass Act Hunting & Trapping Water Bylaw Clearing of Sidewalks TOTAL
Warnings 120 142 269 11 5 1 5 6 1 1 2 0 1 86 650
Tickets 70 616 382 5 5 4 1 0 0 1 1 0 0 0 1085
92 - $230 tickets and 79 warnings were issued for expired licence plates. 164 - $57 tickets were issued for improper parallel parking, the greatest percentage of Traffic Safety Act tickets. 302 - $30 tickets were issued for parking contrary to a sign (no parking or stopping), the greatest percentage of Traffic and Streets Bylaw tickets. Tickets issued under the Taxi Bylaw show a small increase over the preceding year. 727 “positive tickets” were issued, an increase of 62% over the preceding year. A positive ticket is a way of recognizing people in the community with a small reward such as a coupon for a movie rental or coffee who were observed complying with Bylaws. Examples of these are kids placing trash in waste bins at the skateboard park, dog owner’s picking up their dogs poop or skateboarders walking with their skateboard downtown.
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Bylaw Services 2012 Annual Report | Town of Canmore
Commitee of the Whole 2013.02.12 at 1 p.m.
Page 89 of 100
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Patrols Community Peace Officers are on patrol as soon as they step foot out of the office. Aside from enforcement duties, officers present a uniform presence throughout the community, take opportunities to engage the citizenry, and educate individuals whenever appropriate. Patrols are conducted by patrol vehicle, bicycle, and on foot. Dedicated patrols are split and tracked in five categories. Community Peace Officers are on the lookout for some of the following infractions while conducting patrols: CP Trespassing - People crossing the CP train tracks in Town. Downtown-Parking infractions including vehicles parked in no parking zones, on crosswalks and over the 2 hour time limit. Bicycles on sidewalks, skateboarding in the downtown core, and businesses who have failed to remove the snow on sidewalks. An increased officer presence at special events and Mountain Market days. Parks-Illegal campsites, dogs off leash or in prohibited areas, open liquor and disobeying signs (ex: no climbing on the Old Engine Bridge). Schools-Parking infractions, unsafe pedestrian crossings and bicycle safety. Bike Patrols – these patrols offer officers an opportunity to cover areas of town not accessible by vehicle, and to increase officer presence on trails and in parks. 2500 Number of patrols
2000
Hours spent 1500 1000 500 0
CP Trespassing
Downtown
Parks
Schools
Bike
Number of patrols
226
151
2090
183
121
Hours spent
88
122
715
65
270
The vast majority of CP trespassing patrols resulted in trespass offences being prevented due to officer’s presence. Of the 115 downtown patrols conducted, 36 were for 2 hour parking. As a result of these patrols, 152 park over posted time limit tickets were issued with 81% of them being issued to locals. 3
Bylaw Services 2012 Annual Report | Town of Canmore
Commitee of the Whole 2013.02.12 at 1 p.m.
Page 90 of 100
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Investigations Investigations occur when someone contacts the office to report an infraction (reactive) or when an officer observes an offence (proactive) that requires additional follow up. Patrols, warnings and tickets are not counted as investigations.
Investigations by category Waste 3%
Traffic and Streets 17%
Animal Control 30%
Taxi 7% Parks 2%
Assist Other Agency 3%
Parking 8%
Other 4% Noise 2%
Lost and Found 9%
Court 6%
Clearing of Sidewalks 7%
Land Use 2%
The total number of investigations for 2012 was 2354, a 10% increase from 2011 (2140) Of the 2354 investigations conducted 72% or 1688 were “Reactive Investigations” (complaint generated) and the remaining 28% or 666 were “Proactive Investigations”. 47% of the department’s investigative files in 2012 were split between animal control and traffic and streets investigations, which are consistent with statistics from previous years.
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Bylaw Services 2012 Annual Report | Town of Canmore
Commitee of the Whole 2013.02.12 at 1 p.m.
Page 91 of 100
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Dog and Cat Impounds The main goal when dealing with found dogs and cats is to return them to their home as soon as possible. When required, dogs and cats are placed in the Town’s kennel facility where they are cared for by contracted service providers. Generally found animals are kept for up to 72 hours and when an owner cannot be identified, they are surrendered to the Bow Valley SPCA so that they can be adopted out to a new home. Impounded
Surrendered
68
18 10
8
Dogs
Cats
39% of the time or 143 days in 2012 the kennel had one or more animals housed within it. 20 dogs were given a “free ride home”, which means either the officer drove the dog home or kept it for up to 24 hours without charging any fees as a result of it being licensed in Town. Dogs only receive one free ride home per year.
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Bylaw Services 2012 Annual Report | Town of Canmore
Commitee of the Whole 2013.02.12 at 1 p.m.
Page 92 of 100
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Special Initiatives: 
Bylaw Services Staff placed an emphasis on increasing the number of dogs licensed in Canmore, employing both educational and public relations efforts. This initiative resulted in a total of 1452 dogs being licensed in 2012, an increase of 149 over 2011 (1303). 313 dog owners opted for the three year dog licence option during the renewal process in 2012.

Bylaw services conducted a graffiti survey (inventory) during November 2012. The purpose of this survey was to establish a benchmark count of graffiti tags, and to ascertain the extent of the issue in Canmore. While there was no previous benchmark established for comparison purposes, officers made the observation that some businesses, especially in the down town area, have been proactive in covering or removing graffiti.
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Bylaw Services 2012 Annual Report | Town of Canmore
Commitee of the Whole 2013.02.12 at 1 p.m.
Page 93 of 100
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Photo Radar The Canmore RCMP is responsible for ensuring that the photo radar program is compliant with guidelines set out by the Province. The Protective Services Manager assists the RCMP by conducting monthly reviews of statistics, responding to citizen request for more enforcement or new zones and submitting quarterly and annual reports to the Alberta Solicitor General and Public Security. All net proceeds of the program are placed in the Town’s Photo Radar Reserve which is intended to fund expenses related to any policing and or traffic safety initiative deemed appropriate by Council. Total Violations 2007-2012 8315 7251 6173
2007*
2008
2009
6084
2010
5570
5371
2011
2012
Of the 5371 violations in 2012, 44% were issued to Canmore residents, which is consistent with 2011. During 2011 there were 36 photo radar locations in Canmore. 2007* denotes 9 months of enforcement.
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Bylaw Services 2012 Annual Report | Town of Canmore
Commitee of the Whole 2013.02.12 at 1 p.m.
Page 94 of 100