By Stephen Dafoe
Morinville – Community Peace Officers responded to 582 complaints between July and September. Sixty-nine provincial traffic tickets, 81 provincial traffic warnings, and a dozen bylaw tickets were issued during the quarter.
Bylaw tickets few
Champion Petfoods topped the list of bylaw tickets issued over the summer months. Of the 78 complaints about odours emanating from the plant, eight tickets were handed out to the local manufacturer.
Although Champion received the bulk of the tickets issued in the quarter, they were not the largest generator of bylaw complaints. Of the 582 calls peace officers responded to this summer, 175 were matters dealing with unsightly properties under the Town of Morinville’s Community Standards Bylaw. Although property complaints were the top of the complaint list, no tickets were issued during the quarter.
Other bylaw tickets issued from July to September included one ticket for an unattached RV and three tickets for barking or at-large dogs. Cats seem to have become less of a problem in the community than in recent years. Only 11 complaints of cats at large were received during the quarter, compared with 32 loose or lost dog complaints. But cats and dogs were not the only critters the officers dealt with. Gophers [Richardson ground squirrels], beavers, coyotes, muskrats, bees and wasps accounted for 28 of the quarter’s calls.
Other wild activities included 18 complaints of youth loitering, creating mischief and even swimming in the Centennial Fountain in St. Jean Baptiste Park.
Traffic tickets varied
Of the 69 tickets issued over the summer months under provincial legislation, the majority (11) were related to license plates being misused, expired or not visible enough.
Other infractions included seven distracted driving tickets, six tickets for driving without insurance and nine tickets for failing to wear a seatbelt. Only eight speeding tickets were issued by the two peace officers this summer.
Never did see that fancy, on-loan ATV our CPOs seemed to be all excited about a while back… Has ANYBODY heard ANYTHING re: the 60-day test they were conducting??
Considering the on-line complaint form doesn’t work, I bet there will be even less the next term. I have tried to add complaints numerous times in the past month and the system does not work.
And you did not mention any complaints about ATVs. Hmmm what a surprise. Maybe the town should get them a snowmobile and a boat next so they can have something else to play with. Looks to me like this program is a waste of tax payers money! If your going to make bylaws enforce them or take them off the books.