Council discusses health/safety committee, bylaw complaints, noise bylaw exemptions
BRUCEDALE – Items discussed at the March 20 Guelph/Eramosa council meeting include a health and safety committee report, bylaw enforcement complaint policy and noise bylaw exemptions.
Health and safety report
The Joint Health and Safety Committee (JHSC) report was presented by co-chair Bob Hahn and worker representative Greg Wysman.
“The first health and safety policy statement was approved by council on August 3, 1999,” Wysman noted, and the township’s commitment to it “has remained consistent.”
Hahn added the act also requires the township to have an “active” JHSC with “equal representation of management and labour.”
The members of the 2023 JHSC are co-chairs Hahn and Robin Milne, worker representatives Wysman, Dan Simon-Hodge and Chris Fraresso, and management representatives Linda Cheyne and Harry Niemi.
Their responsibilities include inspections, identifying workplace hazards, making recommendations, investigating work refusals and obtaining information.
Council unanimously endorsed the 2023 Health and Safety Policy Statement.
Bylaw enforcement, complaint policy
Bylaw enforcement officer Ivan Lunevski presented three proposed amendments to the bylaw enforcement and complaint policy adopted in September 2020.
“We just wanted to update the policy to correctly reflect our current practices,” Lunevski noted.
The amendments are:
only people who own property or live in the township can file official complaints that do not impact health and safety;
recognizing the current practice of proactively investigating “municipal property, safety parking violations, animal control, and other health and safety related violations”; and
noting the township can charge “reinspection fees where noncompliance is noted.”
Council unanimously approved the amendments.
Noise bylaw exemptions
Council approved two noise bylaw exemptions, for:
Hillside Festival from July 28 to 30 at 7743 Conservation Road; and
a wedding on July 7 at 7811 Wellington Road 22.
Applicants for each exemption will distribute notices in the surrounding areas about the events and the noise bylaw exemptions.
Recordings of all regular Guelph/Eramosa council meetings and reports on each item mentioned are available at get.on.ca/township-services/committee/mayor-and-council/meetings.
