City Council approves new Public Places Bylaw

“The primary purpose of the Public Places Bylaw is not to persecute individuals, but instead to clearly define expected behaviour and educate the public as to community standards,” says Schmidt-Rempel.

Acting Mayor, Belinda Crowson, however, isn’t sure the bylaw will be enforced equitably. Crowson asked City Administration if there is anything in other legislation that could reduce the amount of false claims, and allow people who may be falsely accused to make a counter charge.

City Solicitor, Brian Loewen, answered Crowson by saying it is up to the Lethbridge Police Service to evaluate the credibility of each complaint and act accordingly.

“If there are fraudulent claims, or if they’re trying to abuse the system, there are ways to deal with that,” said Loewen.

Council and City Administration were both happy with the amount of feedback received from residents.

Director of Community Services, Mike Fox, says the City is always trying to improve public engagement.

“On this bylaw too, we felt it was just important to touch base with all the different demographics of the city,” Fox said.

While working on this bylaw, Council reviewed many similar bylaws that are in effect in other cities in Alberta and across Western Canada.

by Drew Stremick

City Council approves new Public Places Bylaw

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