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2. AMENDMENT TO USE AND CARE
OF ROADS BY-LAW RE NUISANCE ON CITY STREETS MODIFICATION AU RÈGLEMENT SUR L'UTILISATION ET L'ENTRETIEN
DES ROUTES EN RAISON DE NUISANCES
DANS LES RUES DE LA VILLE |
That
Council approve amendments to the Use and Care of Roads By-law (By-law
2003-498, as amended) to create new offences as follows:
1. No person shall engage in loud,
boisterous, threatening, abusive, insulting or indecent language, or engage in
any disorderly conduct or
behaviour on a highway; and
2. No
person shall engage in any activity so as to interfere with or become a
nuisance to the general public using the highway or to adjacent property
owners.
Que le Conseil d’approuver les
modifications au Règlement sur
l'utilisation et l'entretien des routes (Règlement n° 498-2003, tel que
modifié) visant à établir les nouvelles infractions suivantes :
1. Nul ne peut crier ou utiliser un langage excessif, menaçant, violent, insultant ou indécent, ni adopter une conduite ou un comportement répréhensible sur une voie publique;
2. Nul
ne peut agir de façon à nuire ou à porter atteinte aux utilisateurs d’une voie
publique ou aux propriétaires d’un bienfonds adjacent.
Documentation
1. Transportation Committee report dated
15 January 2010 (ACS2010-CCS-TRC-0003) (English then French report).
2. Extract of Draft Minute, 3 February
2010 (Immediately follows the French report).
Report to / Rapport au:
Comité des transports
and Council / et au Conseil
15 January 2010 / le 15 janvier 2010
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City-wide/ à l'échelle de la Ville |
|
File. No. ACS2010-CCS-TRC-0003 |
SUBJECT: AMENDMENT
TO USE AND CARE OF ROADS BY-LAW RE NUISANCE ON CITY STREETS
OBJET: MODIFICATION AU RÈGLEMENT SUR L'UTILISATION ET L'ENTRETIEN DES ROUTES EN RAISON DE NUISANCES DANS LES RUES DE LA VILLE
That the
Transportation Committee recommend that Council approve amendments to the Use
and Care of Roads By-law (By-law 2003-498, as amended) to create new offences
as follows:
1. No
person shall engage in loud, boisterous, threatening, abusive, insulting or
indecent language, or engage in any disorderly conduct or behaviour
on a highway; and
2. No
person shall engage in any activity so as to interfere with or become a
nuisance to the general public using the highway or to adjacent property
owners.
Que le Comité des transports
recommande au Conseil d’approuver les modifications au Règlement sur l'utilisation et l'entretien des routes (Règlement n°
498-2003, tel que modifié) visant à établir les nouvelles infractions suivantes :
1. Nul ne peut crier ou utiliser un langage
excessif, menaçant, violent, insultant ou indécent, ni adopter une conduite ou
un comportement répréhensible sur une voie publique;
2. Nul ne peut agir de façon à nuire ou à
porter atteinte aux utilisateurs d’une voie publique ou aux propriétaires d’un
bienfonds adjacent.
The
proposed by-law amendments address the issue of nuisance behaviours that are
occurring when groups of persons congregate in the roadway and on sidewalks and
cause a disturbance, particularly when restaurants and bars close and groups of
patrons leave the establishments. These
disturbances have been noted, for example, both by property and business owners
in the ByWard Market area as well as by the Ottawa Police Service. The proposed amendments will create useful
enforcement tools both for the Ottawa Police Service and City enforcement staff
to address these disturbances. Similar
offences already exist with respect to the City’s parks, and therefore the
proposed offences simply extend this wording to City streets and sidewalks.
The City’s Parks and Facilities By-law (By-law
No. 2004-476) already prohibits the same behaviour in City parks and facilities
and therefore this suggested amendment for City highways is a consistent
approach to ensuring that properties in the City's ownership and under the
City's control are free of nuisances.
Under the Use and Care of Roads By-law, a highway includes the travelled portion of the road as well as the sidewalk and therefore, these offences would be applicable to those areas. The motivation for this amendment is that representatives of the Ottawa Police Service have counselled that persons congregating on and engaging in boisterous activities and behaviours on City highways and sidewalks may pose a danger to pedestrian and vehicular traffic and may become a nuisance to members of the public, as well as to adjacent residents and business owners.
These new offences would assist in ensuring that those using City highways are free to do so without interference from nuisances, and that adjacent property owners are not affected by nuisances occurring on the highway. Section 128 of the Municipal Act, 2001 allows City Council to regulate with respect to public nuisances.
CONSULTATION
There has been consultation with Ottawa Police Service which supports the recommendation.
City
Operations
Emergency and Protective Services and Public Works participated in the development of and support the proposed amendments.
LEGAL/RISK MANAGEMENT IMPLICATIONS
There are no legal or risk management impediments to adopting the recommendations of this report.
RURAL IMPLICATIONS
N/A
FINANCIAL IMPLICATIONS
There are no direct financial implications associated with the recommendation. The Ottawa Police Service will be the primary enforcers of the by-law provisions. Emergency and Protective Services’ By-law and Regulatory Services will enforce the by-law provisions as necessary, using existing resources.
Should this report be approved by Council, Legal Services and By-law and Regulatory Services staff will prepare the required by-law amendment for enactment by Council.
Rapport au / Report to:
Comité des transports
et au Conseil / and Council
le 15 janvier 2010 / 15 January 2010
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À’L’échelle de la Ville / City Wide |
|
N° de dossier : ACS2010-CCS-TRC-0003 |
OBJET : MODIFICATION AU RÈGLEMENT SUR L'UTILISATION ET L'ENTRETIEN DES ROUTES EN RAISON DE NUISANCES DANS LES RUES DE LA VILLE
SUBJECT: AMENDMENT
TO USE AND CARE OF ROADS BY-LAW RE NUISANCE ON CITY STREETS
Que le Comité
des transports recommande au Conseil d’approuver les modifications au Règlement sur l'utilisation et l'entretien
des routes (Règlement n° 498-2003, tel que modifié) visant à établir les
nouvelles infractions suivantes :
1. Nul
ne peut crier ou utiliser un langage excessif, menaçant, violent, insultant ou
indécent, ni adopter une conduite ou un comportement répréhensible sur une voie
publique;
2. Nul
ne peut agir de façon à nuire ou à porter atteinte aux utilisateurs d’une voie
publique ou aux propriétaires d’un bienfonds adjacent.
That
the Transportation Committee recommend that Council approve amendments to the Use and Care of Roads
By-law (By-law 2003-498, as amended) to create new offences as follows:
1. No person shall engage in loud,
boisterous, threatening, abusive, insulting or indecent language, or engage in
any disorderly conduct or
behaviour on a highway; and
2. No person shall engage in any activity so
as to interfere with or become a nuisance to the general public using the
highway or to adjacent property owners.
Les modifications proposées
au règlement visent le problème des comportements nuisibles qui
surviennent lorsque des groupes de personnes s’assemblent sur la voie publique
ou sur le trottoir et causent du désordre, en particulier à l’heure de
fermeture des bars et restaurants alors que des groupes de clients quittent les
lieux. Ces comportements répréhensibles ont été signalés par les propriétaires
de résidence et de commerce du marché By, par exemple, ainsi que par le Service
de police d'Ottawa. Les
modifications proposées fourniront aux fonctionnaires municipaux chargés
d’appliquer le règlement et au Service de police d’Ottawa des instruments
utiles pour répondre à ces comportements. Des infractions similaires
existent déjà pour les parcs municipaux et par conséquent, celles qui sont
proposées ne feront qu’étendre leur application aux rues et trottoirs de la
Ville.
Ces mêmes comportements sont déjà
interdits par le Règlement sur les parcs
et les installations (Règlement n° 276-2004) de la Ville, et pour ce motif,
la modification proposée à l’égard des voies publiques s’inscrit dans une
démarche cohérente de protection contre tout désordre sur les propriétés
détenues par la Ville ou dont elle assure le contrôle.
Selon le Règlement sur l’utilisation et l’entretien
des routes, une voie publique comprend toute partie carrossable de la route
de même que le trottoir, par conséquent, les nouvelles infractions s’appliqueraient
à ces espaces. Cette modification découle de l’opinion des représentants du
Service de police d’Ottawa qui sont d’avis que lorsque des personnes
s’attroupent sur les voies publiques et les trottoirs de la Ville, se livrent à
des activités répréhensibles et adoptent un comportement désordonné, cela peut
présenter un danger pour la circulation automobile ou piétonne et devenir une
nuisance pour le public, ainsi que pour les propriétaires de résidence et de
commerce adjacents.
Ces
nouvelles infractions permettraient de s’assurer que les personnes qui
empruntent les voies publiques de la Ville peuvent le faire sans interférence
causée par des nuisances, et que les propriétaires de bienfonds adjacents n’ont
pas à subir les nuisances pouvant survenir sur la voie publique. L’article 128
de la Loi de 2001 sur les municipalités confère au Conseil municipal le pouvoir de réglementer les nuisances
publiques.
CONSULTATION
Il y a eu
consultation avec le Service de police d’Ottawa qui appuie la présente
recommandation.
Opérations municipales
Les
Services de protection et d’urgence et Travaux publics ont participé à
l’élaboration des modifications proposées qu’ils appuient.
RÉPERCUSSIONS
JURIDIQUES OU TOUCHANT LA GESTION DES RISQUES
Il n’y a
aucun empêchement, juridique ou lié à la gestion du risque, à la mise en œuvre
de la recommandation du présent rapport.
RÉPERCUSSIONS
RURALES
S.O.
RÉPERCUSSIONS FINANCIÈRES
Aucune
répercussion financière directe n’est associée à la recommandation. Les agents
du Service de police d’Ottawa seront les premiers agents d’application des
dispositions du règlement. Le personnel des Services de protection et d’urgence
et des Services des règlements municipaux rédigera la modification au règlement
exigée aux fins d’adoption par le Conseil.
DISPOSITION
Si le
présent rapport est approuvé par le Conseil, le personnel des Services
juridiques et des Services des règlements municipaux rédigera la modification
au règlement exigée aux fins d’adoption par le Conseil.
AMENDMENT
TO USE AND CARE OF ROADS BY-LAW RE NUISANCE ON CITY STREETS
MODIFICATION AU RÈGLEMENT SUR
L'UTILISATION ET L'ENTRETIEN DES ROUTES EN RAISON DE NUISANCES DANS LES RUES DE LA VILLE
ACS2010-CCS-TRC-0003 Rideau-Vanier (12)
The Committee received an e-mail dated 2 February 2010 from the Hintonburg Community Association in support of the report recommendations.
Andrew Nellis, Ottawa Panhandlers Union objected to the report recommendations because he felt that harmful activities are already prohibited by other laws. He believed that the amendment simply gives property owners and businesses another opportunity to say that others do not have a right to do what they want to do on the street. He claimed that their members are regarded by the ward councillor and the Mayor as being a nuisance, which needs to be taken care of, despite the fact that panhandling is a legal activity.
On a point of personal privilege, Councillor Bédard stated that he does not consider panhandlers a “nuisance” and he acknowledged that panhandling is legal in Ontario and he respected their legal rights. The Chair cautioned the delegation not to make any allegations that are not true.
Mr. Nellis continued by stating that Council has a legal responsibility to represent all people in the riding under penalty of malfeasance of office and not just a select portion of the population. He explained that panhandlers, which include members of their Union, are generally regarded by the BIAs, businesses and the middle-class as nuisances. Already, the police are required to move panhandlers along if they receive a complaint from a business, regardless of whether or not any law has been broken. He questioned the absence of financial implications in the report associated with approval of this amendment and proceeded to give an example, at which point the Chair again cautioned the delegation to refrain from using unparliamentary language and to respect Council’s Rules of Procedures.
Mr. Nellis advised that he would personally challenge the by-law, as amended, constitutionally, adding that there is no practical purpose served that is not already served by the current laws in effect. He further indicated that there are people who are prepared to engage in legal and direct action to prevent this by-law from having any affect on those that the BIAs and businesses do not care about.
Cheryl Parrott of the Hintonburg Community Association and Jasna Jennings of the ByWard Market BIA had signed up to speak but were not in the room when their names were called.
Councillor Bédard explained that the wording in this amendment is already reflected in the Parks and Facilities By-law and he asked legal staff to comment. Valerie Bietlot, Legal Counsel confirmed that the aforementioned by-law was enacted in 2003 and she was not aware of any problems with it. She pointed out that charges have never been laid for those particular sections in the by-law, so they have not had to be used. The councillor remarked that the City is allowed, under the Municipal Act to pass such legislation and it would be helpful in certain areas, particularly in his ward and in centretown and in Hintonburg and Westboro. The police are supportive of the amendment as well. Therefore, what is being recommended is simply an extension of what the City is already doing under an existing by-law, but will be applied to streets and sidewalks.
Councillor Desroches was not sure that this amendment could be compared with parks because there are no activities in those areas at night. He was concerned that the wording is vague and would be open to challenge, thereby making the by-law difficult to enforce. When asked to comment on the wording and enforceability of a by-law in an environment that is very dynamic and has thousands of people in it, Linda Anderson, Chief, By-Law and Regulatory Services explained that the intent of this amendment is to address issues in areas that are commonly referred to as entertainment districts. At the time bars and restaurants close in these districts, large numbers of people exit onto City streets and, from time to time, do not disburse in a timely fashion. Consequently, a lot of disruption is caused to people living in those areas. The existing noise by-law only refers to shouting and there are other kinds of activities that fall outside of that such as rowdy behaviour, vandalism of property or the streetscape, et cetera, and this amendment would permit by-law services to address some of those other issues.
Councillor Wilkinson believed there could be difficulties enforcing this by-law without a clear definition of what constitutes a ‘nuisance’. Ms. Bietlot offered that this language is already in the Parks and Facilities By-law and for ease of efficiency, it was suggested to be reproduced because it was identified as a gap in the already existing by-law provisions that address different kinds of nuisance behaviour. The term nuisance is not unknown in law and while no by-law could be guaranteed to be immune from challenge, offered (if it was the will of the Committee) to prepare a definition of nuisance for this particular context. This could be made ready before the item rises to Council.
Following on these comments, Ms. Anderson confirmed that the by-law is enforceable by both the Ottawa Police and the City’s By-law officers. Councillor Wilkinson felt that if a situation were to arise, the City has existing by-laws that will be enforced. Ms. Bietlot explained that in consultation with the ward councillor, staff and the police, this particular type of ‘nuisance’ was identified as a gap, because it refers to a type of behaviour specifically on the right-of-way. In response to additional concerns expressed by the councillor, Ms. Anderson confirmed that such behaviours would occur more frequently in areas where businesses open right up onto City streets, which is more predominant in the downtown. The councillor commented that similar situations have occurred in her ward, which the police were able to manage. She was bothered by the amendment because it is not the same situation as in a park. Ms. Bietlot reiterated the fact that the police were supportive of the amendment because it would be a useful tool for them to address such behaviour at the municipal level. Adding to this, Ms. Anderson clarified that since parks are closed to the public at 11 p.m., the same wording in the Parks and Facilities By-law has been the tool they have used 99% of the time. She advised that staff would recommend a fine of $250 (plus a victims surcharge of $50) to the province for those charged under this amended by-law.
Councillor Leadman advised that the Hintonburg community has significant problems of this nature as well and they have had a lot of difficulty dealing with it because of that gap. The community suffers as a result of the City and the Ottawa Police not having the appropriate tools to deal with such situations. She believed this amendment is the tool that will allow the City and the Police to address such problems in the urban core.
The Chair understood the Ottawa Police had approached the ward councillor and asked him to put forward this amendment and she asked if staff in by-law support this amendment. Ms. Anderson confirmed she did because by-law officers working in the downtown core will use this from time to time and it is also a good tool for the Ottawa Police. When asked to comment on whether or not the City is going too far and over-legislating its residents and their behaviour, she explained that since the amendment already exists in the Parks and Facilities By-law, she did not feel it is a new law that is being put in place.
On wrap up, Councillor Bédard explained that the request to amend the by-law came initially from the Safety Security Committee in his ward and the police and the social agencies (who are part of that committee) recommended this would be a tool that could be used, instead of using the Criminal Code, which makes a criminal out of the person being charged. He offered that the Criminal Code is not a suitable approach and in this case when people are causing a disturbance, the City needs something that can be used to simply levy a fine. It can be and should be applied throughout the city whenever necessary.
That
the Transportation Committee recommend that Council approve amendments to the Use
and Care of Roads By-law (By-law 2003-498, as amended) to create new offences
as follows:
1. No person shall engage in loud, boisterous, threatening,
abusive, insulting or indecent language, or engage in any disorderly conduct or
behaviour on a highway; and
2. No person shall engage in any activity so as to interfere with
or become a nuisance to the general public using the highway or to adjacent
property owners.