Owen Sound City Hall. (file photo)
Owen Sound will be trying a new approach of more proactive bylaw enforcement to try and address safety concerns in a “hotspot” neighbourhood in the city.
Council resolved at its meeting Monday to have police services continue targeted intervention in the neighbourhood while amending the city’s current contract with its bylaw service provider to have additional proactive enforcement overnight between 11 p.m. and 6 a.m. for a pilot period of six weeks.
Deputy Mayor Brian O’Leary moved the motion.
It will cost about $8,500 to try the new approach — which councillors hope will address ongoing issues in a certain neighbourhood.
Staff had been asked to produce a report with options for council to consider after a special meeting Sept. 2, when Mayor Ian Boddy said “there’s a specific house in a specific neighbourhood that’s been causing unrest for the neighbours.”
Boddy did not disclose exactly where the house is out of concern for the neighbours and in the interest of their safety and privacy. No other councillors have identified it either in any public proceedings, but did discuss the property in question in a closed session Monday.
As part of the motion passed, the city has also identified a “hotspot” as an area experiencing high crime or regulatory infraction intensity. The neighbourhood in question leading to this action from council has been declared a hotspot.
According to a report by Owen Sound City Manager Tim Simmonds, ongoing neighbourhood complaints about trespassing, noise and other by-law violations have resulted in concerns about a specific address in the city.
“The attention and actions of the individuals living at, or visiting the residence has resulted in numerous police calls for service and heightened concerns for safety by the neighbours,” Simmonds’ report explains. “This increased level of concern has resulted in a ‘hotspot’ that requires specific initiatives to address the social disorder and nuisance behaviour that has resulted.”
Simmonds notes the hotspot continues to create both unsafe conditions and perceptions of unsafe conditions for those living in the area.
“Continued enforcement will be one aspect of dealing with the concerns,” Simmonds explains.
However, Simmonds told councillors enforcement “is not a single solution to this issue,” while noting local social service groups also agreed with this view in conversations with city and police service.
The Owen Sound Police Service and city officials have met with other community stakeholders to attempt to address the root cause of many of the issues: mental health and addictions. Some of those groups include: CMHA Grey Bruce, Grey County Housing, Safe’ n Sound and Public Health Grey Bruce.
The city’s bylaw officers operate in compliance mode currently rather than an enforcement mode. Simmonds says that in itself is somewhat unique to Owen Sound. The motion passed Monday will see the city’s by-law enforcement policy updated to permit pro-active enforcement when hotspots in the city are identified by council.
Coun. Carol Merton was the lone vote against the motion. She called the plan an “ill-fitting bandage” that partially covers the issue, and voiced her view of the need for a broader, more comprehensive strategy.
“This has been an historic pattern. When a hotspot disappears in one part of the community, it could pop up in another and does,” Merton explains. “If we continue to do the same thing we will get the same results, with added costs to all of us taxpayers.”
It should be noted the city is not doing the same thing, it is trying a new approach now with stricter enforcement to deter the nefarious behaviour.
Coun. Scott Greig acknowledged he’s heard from neighbours in the impacted area over the summer and calls it “terrible” what they’ve had to live through.
“Their enjoyment of these properties has been violated in a manner I wouldn’t wish upon anyone,” Greig says. “It’s terrible to see those instances go on in our community.”
Greig also recalls a ride-along he did with Owen Sound Police Services and says they spent significant time driving past the property in question. The city councillor says he observed how much it takes away from police services’ ability to police other parts of the city.
“One ting that’s been difficult to instill in this situation is a deterrent,” Greig adds. “Unfortunately, it seems to be lacking in so many ways in today’s society … I’m quite keen on seeing what kind of a response that this new policy will get over six or eight weeks.”
Simmonds notes the results of the six-week enforcement pilot will be used to inform the future task force on police services.
Council resolved in July to instruct the city manager to prepare terms of reference for the task force to help inform council to best modernize the structure of the Owen Sound Police Service, after voting down a motion to effectively “defund” the police department by 30 per cent.