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Mono to discuss bid for noise bylaw exemptions

February 27, 2018   ·   0 Comments

By Jasen Obermeyer

Mono Council has asked the town’s staff to meet with Credit Valley Conservation (CVC) to discuss the agency’s request for a noise bylaw exemption.

The request to waive the bylaw, and the $1000 fee for an exemption, is for Dufferin’s first-ever celebration of pride and diversity on June 23, dubbed “Celebrate Your Awesome” to be held at CVC’s Island Lake Conservation Area. The event at the new ampitheatre is to run from 1:00 p.m. to 10:00 p.m., while the municipality’s bylaw restricts noise after 5:00 p.m.

However, council, at last Tuesday’s meeting (Feb. 13) deferred the decision, citing how the CVC has provided little information on the event, what will be there to generate noise and how loud it will get. Council previously approved the exemption to CVC last year for its Canada 150 celebrations.

“All they’re saying is, they want to play music until 10:00 at night. We have nothing in this letter that suggest there’s any means to monitor or control it, or determine if it’s too loud to do something about it,” said Councillor Fred Nix.

Councillor Sharon Martin said they should not waive the fee “at all” and need more information on the event.

Local resident Marc Darby spoke to council at the meeting, and voiced his objection to the application, which he described as “inadequate” and said the CVC “wants to increase revenues, and they’re willing to sacrifice the environment and all the noise and the neighborhood.”

Another local resident, Bob McCrea, sent a letter to council voicing his objections to the exemption, and stated that should council waive the bylaw and exemption fee, “you set a precedent for all the other applications.”

Councillor Ralph Manktelow suggested to council they need to be consistent in their decisions and should “look back on what we did before and see if it’s possible for (CVC) to follow the same sound criteria.”

After Mono Mayor Laura Ryan revealed that CVC plans to have several more events and requests for noise bylaw exemptions, she suggested to council that CAO Mark Early should meet with CVC staff and discuss all events, to have full information. “I don’t feel that’s fair for us to have to go through each one.”

Council is looking to have feedback by their next meeting and make a decision on the application.

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