Bradford’s enforcement division had plenty to keep them busy last year, with a record number of calls for service.
According to a report by Robert Belsey, manager of enforcement, the town’s officers handled 3,003 calls in 2023, about a 16-per-cent increase over the 2,584 calls in 2022, and about a 10-per-cent increase of the previous record of 2,742 calls in 2021.
Of the calls in 2023 the most were for:
- Traffic — 1,408 (up 21 per cent)
- Animal control — 394 (up eight per cent)
- Clean yards and property standards — 350 (up 17 per cent)
- Garbage/littering — 198 (down five per cent)
- Zoning — 163 (up 44 per cent)
- Road occupancy — 142 (up 12.5 per cent)
- Noise and nuisance — 132 (up 50 per cent)
Council received the report for information during the regular council meeting on Feb. 20, during which time Belsey explained the traffic calls were a combination of proactive and reactive enforcement of the town’s traffic bylaw, which led to 5,600 parking tickets issued — a 14-per-cent decrease from 2022.
The conversation quickly turned to the parking issues at local schools and Belsey explained officers attend the schools on a rotational basis at the request of council, but some schools see more patrols than others as a result of their locations and layouts.
“We do try to triage. We try to keep our ear to the community and provide our resources where they’re needed most and also try to provide equal community engagement across our municipality,” he said, emphasizing that officers take a variety of circumstances into account before issuing tickets.
While a simple conversation might help clear up a misunderstanding of the bylaw at the beginning of the school year, other situations aren’t always as simple.
“We’re acutely aware that some people will try to drive away when dealing with enforcement,” Belsey said, noting when there are children walking around “that could have drastic outcomes.”
Ward 5 Coun. Peter Ferragine praised the officers for attempting to educate people and noted that the numbers for patrols and warnings are “way higher” than the number of tickets issued.
According to the report, officers conducted 557 patrols at schools and issued 218 school-zone parking infractions plus 1,379 verbal warnings.
When it comes to dealing with those schools that see a greater number of parking concerns, Belsey said a “fully functioning and capable kiss and ride” is “paramount” to the success of the school’s drop off and pick up, and added enforcement is “actively working” with school boards, police and the Simcoe Muskoka District Health Unit.
“We are going to do what’s right in Bradford to ensure that we’re effecting change, because that’s the ultimate goal — not to drive up the parking ticket numbers,” he said.
Ward 4 Coun. Joseph Giordano said a motion would be coming forward in future to try to address the issue, and Mayor James Leduc added that he has asked Brent Lee, the town's director of corporate services, to investigate having enforcement officers use body-worn cameras to help “protect everybody.”
- Of the 394 animal control calls, most were for: animals at large (78), dogs barking (74), injured or sick wildlife (54) or licensing (39).
- Of the 350 calls for clean yard and property standards, most were for: grass and weeds (191), debris (75) and building exteriors (44).
- Of the 163 calls for zoning, most were for: permitted uses (61), driveway width (37), setbacks (32) and second residential units (21).
- Of the 142 calls for road occupancy, most were for: metal/debris (75), permits (26), fouling a roadway (35) or snow (17).
- Of the 132 calls for noise, most were for: residential noise (74), construction noise (32), commercial businesses (22) and vehicle noise (four).
Firework complaints were categorized separately from the other noise complaints, and decreased to just three in 2023, from 10 in 2022.
The enforcement division is also responsible for issuing business licences in town, which saw a 21-per-cent increase in 2023 to 75, with most being for: taxicab drivers (24), taxicab plates (12), temporary refreshment vehicles (11) and lottery licences (11).
The division also issued 770 dog licences in 2023, a five-per-cent decrease from 2022.
According to the report, the division generated $374,873 in revenue in 2023, about seven per cent more than the $350,000 budgeted.
