Those who build within an environmentally protected area without a permit may soon find themselves facing a $500 fine.

Township council passed a ticketing amendment on May 29 that will give more leverage to bylaw officers enforcing streamside protection and enhancement requirements set out in the 91原创 Official Community Plan Bylaw.

This section of the bylaw ensures that 鈥渇isheries, wildlife, trees, water resources, soils, recreation and archaeological values, property and human safety鈥� in Streamside Protection and Enhancement Development Permit Areas (SPEAs) are protected and enhanced, and that development impacts are mitigated, according to a staff report to council.

Prior to the amendment, staff relied on voluntary compliance, and the only stronger enforcement option available was a summary conviction in court.

鈥淚 think we鈥檙e fast approaching a fairy significant increment in this particular issue of streamside protection and enhancement, and I think that this is a constructive way of dealing with people who violate the policies,鈥� said Coun. Charlie Fox.

鈥溾�� Up until now, we鈥檝e dealt with voluntary compliance, but this is more effective and stronger and I really support this, I think we鈥檙e moving in the right direction.鈥�

Mayor Jack Froese agreed, calling the fine 鈥渁 good first step.鈥�

鈥淭his is just one piece of the bylaw, and in my world that I came from in policing, if you have a law with no enforcement, you really don鈥檛 have much of a law.鈥�

The $500 amount is similar to other environmental related bylaws, including the erosion and sediment control bylaw and watercourse protection bylaw, however Coun. Petrina Arnason feels the penalty could be higher.

鈥淚鈥檓 not necessarily sure with the way things are going that it鈥檚 aggressive enough, although I understand that it鈥檚 an incremental approach that we鈥檙e taking. So going from volunteerism to trying to put some teeth in it I think is very helpful,鈥� she said.

鈥淥ne of the things that I鈥檝e discovered, actually, is that 鈥� oftentimes when we have an area that鈥檚 covered by a restricted covenant, or an area that cannot be environmentally encroached, that over time what happens without any oversight is that this gets ignored and people start building things on it like gazebos and their gardens. So I鈥檓 wondering if staff have given any consideration to, once there is an infraction, to ensuring that the area is actually fenced off for its future protection?鈥�

Ramin Seifi, Township general manager of engineering and community development, replied that those sorts of measures are incorporated into the bylaw.