Grand Forks City Council has authorized the establishment of its own animal control officer and bylaw.
Animal control in the city was historically contracted through the Regional District of Kootenay Boundary (RDKB), but the company withdrew in June following criticism over an apparent lack of service.
At that point, discussions at the board level encouraged each area to consider taking over its own animal control, prompting council to begin the process of transitioning the service in-house.
Grand Forks CAO Duncan Redfearn told council on Monday that the City is only overseeing animal control within the municipal boundary.
The City recently approved the addition of an animal control/bylaw enforcement position, which is already posted and closes on July 21.
Redfearn said the new role will also address broader community safety concerns in addition to animal control enforcement.
“Council is increasing the presence of bylaw in the community and moving forward after this position is hired, particularly during the peak season between spring and fall.”
Council has also extended bylaw enforcement hours beyond 8 p.m. on weekdays to respond to concerns that arise outside of the current 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. schedule.
As a result, new service hours will run from 8 a.m. to 8 p.m. on weekdays, and from noon to 8 p.m. on weekends.
While each bylaw officer may have a specific area of focus – such as community safety or animal control – Redfearn emphasized that officers are responsible for enforcing all municipal bylaws.
The animal control bylaw itself remains largely unchanged from what was previously imposed by the regional district, including penalties and fines.
Council will be able to develop its own animal control bylaw in the future, but legally must wait until the RDKB dissolves its existing bylaw, as Redfearn explained that the municipality cannot impose two bylaws that contradict each other.
“We’re limited to the RDKB bylaw right now. The fees and charges are limited to what’s outlined there, as well as the fines,” said Redfearn.
“So we’re just mirroring what was in the RDKB bylaw. The only real difference is that residents now contact City Hall instead of the RDKB. We also have a 24/7 answering service at City Hall, so calls can come in at any time.”
Once the RDKB dissolves its animal control bylaw, council can move forward with creating its own.
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