Close X
Tuesday, January 14, 2025
ADVT 
National

Nuisance Noise Prompts Growing Complaints Across Vancouver

The Canadian Press, 12 Jul, 2016 12:12 PM
    VANCOUVER — New statistics indicate peace and quiet can be a disappearing commodity in some Vancouver neighbourhoods.
     
    Data from Vancouver's 311 call service reveals 2,148 noise complaints were received in 2015, almost double those received just four years earlier.
     
    More than half originated in just five of the city's 22 neighbourhoods, led by 421 complaints from the Yaletown and downtown area and 264 in the west end.
     
    Other noisy neighbourhoods include Mount Pleasant, Kitsilano and Grandview-Woodlands, with more than 100 noise complaints in 2015, while Oakridge, South Cambie and Arbutus rank as the quietest areas, with 30 complaints or fewer. 
     
    Chief licensing inspector Andreea Toma says higher volumes are tolerated in busier neighbourhoods, such as the downtown core, but she says noise bylaws apply everywhere and carry fines of up to $500.
     
     
    Toma says the soaring number of complaints might also reflect a growing familiarity with Vancouver's 311 service line but adds the city is not downplaying problems caused by repeat offenders.
     
    “We are looking into creating a nuisance bylaw ... where we have the ability to put a charge onto the property owner because they keep becoming a nuisance to the neighbourhood. We've been called there once, twice, three times," she says. 
     
    Noisy nightlife, after-hours construction and loud mechanical equipment, such as air conditioners, top the list of complaints, says Toma.
     
    Vancouver may have to review and adjust acceptable noise limits in various neighbourhoods to reflect increasing densification, she adds. 

    MORE National ARTICLES

    Veterans Lawsuit Heading Back To Court After Settlement Deadline Passes

    VANCOUVER — A missed procedural deadline has set off a domino effect in a long-running court case about compensation for severely disabled veterans.

    Veterans Lawsuit Heading Back To Court After Settlement Deadline Passes

    2 Men Dead, One Rescued After Fishing Boat Capsizes Off Northern New Brunswick

    The RCMP says the incident occurred early Thursday morning off the Miller Brook wharf near Salmon Beach, about 11 kilometres from downtown Bathurst.

    2 Men Dead, One Rescued After Fishing Boat Capsizes Off Northern New Brunswick

    Senate Passes Assisted Dying Bill With Amendment To Delete Near-death Proviso

    Senate Passes Assisted Dying Bill With Amendment To Delete Near-death Proviso
    The bill, as amended over the past two weeks of lengthy debate in the upper house, passed late Wednesday by a vote of 64-12 with one abstention.

    Senate Passes Assisted Dying Bill With Amendment To Delete Near-death Proviso

    Panel To Start Reviewing Domestic Violence Deaths In Saskatchewan

    REGINA — A panel reviewing domestic violence deaths in Saskatchewan is to begin looking at cases next month.

    Panel To Start Reviewing Domestic Violence Deaths In Saskatchewan

    Can Inmates Ask To Die? Clarity Urged Around Doctor-Assisted Death In Prison

    Can Inmates Ask To Die? Clarity Urged Around Doctor-Assisted Death In Prison
    CALGARY — A Belgian man three decades into a life sentence for rape and murder wanted doctors to help him die — and he nearly got his wish.

    Can Inmates Ask To Die? Clarity Urged Around Doctor-Assisted Death In Prison

    South African Company Tries To Clear The Air About Firefighter Pay In Alberta

    South African Company Tries To Clear The Air About Firefighter Pay In Alberta
    Working on Fire Ltd. makes the comment as part of a statement about a pay dispute that led to 300 of its firefighters leaving Alberta after only a few days on the job.

    South African Company Tries To Clear The Air About Firefighter Pay In Alberta