Denman bylaw-notification proposal set aside for housing-policy review

Trustee Busheikin says future consideration of proposed Bylaw No. 201 will be publicized after reviews of the Official Community Plan and Land Use Bylaw.

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The Denman Firestarter

Proposed Bylaw No. 201 is not on the current Local Trust Committee work plan, and Trustee Laura Busheikin says it has been put aside until a full review of housing policies in the Official Community Plan and Land Use Bylaw has been conducted. She says any future consideration will be publicized ahead of time for the community’s information.¹

Chair David Graham says the March 14 community information meeting is being held in response to concerns heard during the committee’s consideration of the proposal. He says the administrative bylaw does not require a public hearing and is not being advanced further at this time.¹

The proposed bylaw concerns bylaw-enforcement notifications and a dispute-adjudication system. Bylaw Enforcement Coordinator Miles Drew says the system provides an alternative to provincial court for minor infractions, using an adjudicator in an informal process and encouraging compliance with community bylaws.¹

The meeting records questions about complaint confidentiality, visitor-accommodation regulations, housing regulations and the complaint-based enforcement process. Drew says complainants’ names are not divulged, while their identities are required when complaints are made.¹

Graham says current housing regulations do not reflect current practices on the island and that the community needs to become involved with an Official Community Plan review. He says the committee has discussed moving a review of housing policies to a higher priority.¹