Three takeaways from the Nov. 22 Courtenay council meeting 鈥� council adopted a garbage enforcement policy, approved a third reading on the Lannan Road zoning bylaw, and adopted a new building code bylaw.
Garbage enforcement policy
As Courtenay shifts into its new automated pickup program, the government plans to enforce rules. The rules surround how citizens sort their recyclables, garbage and organics.
The change to automated garbage trucks may bring increased 鈥渃ontamination鈥� in city garbage 鈥� defined as garbage in recycling, or recycling in garbage and so on. This is a problem as the city wants waste streams to be more efficient, rather than less efficient. Staff or contractors will be investigating citizens鈥� garbage cans to enforce better habits to reduce contamination.
Starting in January, an enhanced program will send staff out to wander neighbourhoods and inspect carts. Also in the coming year, new garbage trucks will be equipped with tracking technology that allows the city to track which households are not following the rules.
The tracking system will feed citizens鈥� into a system of escalating enforcement from the government. The system, according to Courtenay鈥檚 policy, starts with stickers that say 鈥淥OPS!鈥� and can end with daily $200 fines and revoking garbage services to the citizens鈥� house while still charging taxes for the service.
Council voted to adopt the policy, in anticipation of it supporting the new bylaw which is yet to be voted into effect. As the new collection service will start in January, the bylaw that makes the system official will likely appear on the only council meeting in December, on the sixth.
Lannan Road rezoning passes third reading
The bylaw aiming to rezone a large property for development at Lannan Road was given third reading.
The project is seeking to rezone the area to allow for urban residential development near Crown Isle. Further review will be necessary before the bylaw is final.
Council voted unanimously, while Coun. Evan Jolicouer did not vote after declaring a conflict of interest. Jolicouer announced he was an advisor to the board of Dawn to Dawn, which would receive support from Courtenay if the zoning bylaw passes.
Building code bylaw adopted
Council voted unanimously to pass Building Bylaw No. 3114.
Inside the bylaw are new regulations for construction, raising the level of energy-efficiency required in new buildings. Multi-use-residential buildings such as apartments, and houses both jumped up one step on the BC Energy Step Code, meaning developers will need to invest more into eco-friendly builds going forward.
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