After we receive a complaint, the Bylaw Enforcement Officer will assess and investigate it if necessary. In some cases, the person who made the complaint will be contacted for more information to help in our investigation. Once the assessment or investigation is complete, the person who submitted the complaint will be contacted about the outcome.
If there is enough evidence of a bylaw violation, the Regional District may take action. Penalties range from warnings, to tickets or a full trial. The Regional District will consider all factors in each situation, and pick the most productive path forward.
If there is not enough evidence, the investigation may be closed without further action. The Regional District also considers whether a complaint has merit, and can refuse to investigate if there is any evidence of:
- trivial complaints where the bylaw violation is very minor and not worth investigating
- complaints made in bad faith or in an abuse of process, like if a complaint is made to primarily harass or annoy someone, not because the violation is having a negative impact
- repetitive complaints about issues that have already been investigated, unless significant new evidence is discovered
For more information about the penalties and enforcement measures available, please refer to the bylaw being violated or email the Bylaw Enforcement Officer with your questions.
