(rdnewsNOW file photo)

By Jordan Davidson (Twitter: @JordanDHeyNow)

Enhancing Community Safety

Proposed business licence bylaw amendments to help deter crime

Aug 25, 2021 | 11:19 AM

Red Deer city council has passed first reading on a number of Business Licence Bylaw amendments which aim to ease community anxiety about crime and community safety.

Public engagement sessions were hosted in late 2019 and early 2020 where more than 400 residents expressed their concerns and ideas about public safety.

Administration brought those proposed amendments to the Aug. 24 council meeting, where they passed first reading.

Amy Fengstad, Parking and Licensing Supervisor, says they took what they heard from the community and compared it to their existing bylaws and came up with a number of ideas.

“We are confident these changes will help deter crime and create positive change for local businesses and residents in our community.”

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Some of these proposed amendments include auto wreckers, salvage yards, and scrap metal dealers now requiring proof of identity and information about the material before buying or receiving scrap metal.

Fengstad says some of these amendments are already provincially regulated, but this would give the City and local RCMP a chance to keep an eye on it as well.

“We just reinforced that through our own City bylaws to ensure that they were collecting it and we would have the ability to go in and request that information when necessary.”

These amendments are anticipated to add consistency in the regulations of pawn shops, pawn brokers, and second hand dealers, which would streamline the process related to handling stolen goods. These businesses would also be able to sell new items.

Added clarity for mobile business units and food services were also added to help guide operations, including details around where mobile unit businesses could park.

The administrative changes are hoped to improve clarity and address shortcomings of the existing bylaw, which includes adding administrative fees to cover costs of lapsed, expired or late renewals, errors or additions to the business directory for exempt businesses.

“We are confident these measures will help create barriers for criminal activity, and will also make the bylaw more straightforward for businesses.” said Fengstad.

The amended Business Licence Bylaw will return to council for second and third reading on Sept. 13.