65 dBA

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"Making A Nice Day Even Nicer" by Kari Gignac. Not without a permit!

The buzz today was about a by-law amendment proposed at city council last night. To sum it up, they want to amend a permit- the Emission of Amplified Sound permit- so that permit holders can still be punished for disturbing the peace (currently, they’re safe from any repercussion, because they hold a permit).

I read over the proposal, and here are some notable points I thought everyone should know about:

Events at the Riverfront Festival Plaza and establishments with patios are exempt from this permit process (they already have their own guidelines to follow).

Noise from an event cannot “create a nuisance” or “disturb the inhabitants” or “exceed 65 dBA when measured from the point of reception”.

The permit will not be applicable after 11pm on any day of the week.

If an event receives “justifiable complaints”, a permit may be denied in the future. Event organizers may have to pay for a City Official to monitor the event. If curfew is broken, $100 per minute will be taken from the security deposit ($500, which is paid by the event organizer when applying for the permit).

The definition of “point of reception” is a bit vague- even when I looked up the actual meaning in the original by-law. “‘Point of Reception’ means any point on the premises of a person where sound or vibration originating from other than those premises is received.” Clarification will be needed, for sure.

I find the use of the word “justifiable” a bit complicating, too. That means that whoever holds the position of Coordinator of Community Special Events Services will be the one to determine whether the complaint is warranted, or not.

And the fact that they want festivals to cap the noise level at 65 dBA is complete ridiculousness.

I still don’t know who exactly proposed to change the permit parameters, but the four signatures at the bottom of the proposal belong to Walt Metulynsky, Manager of Leisure Outreach Services, Jan Wilson, Executive Director of Recreation and Culture, LeeAnn Doyle, Chief Building Official and Ronna Warsh, Commissioner of Community Development and Health.

If you want to learn more, here are some helpful links:

http://www.citywindsor.ca/DisplayAttach.asp?AttachID=13197 (by-law #6716)

http://www.citywindsor.ca/DisplayAttach.asp?AttachID=17145 (the recommended proposal presented at last night’s council session)

http://audioboo.fm/boos/121460-downtown-residents-association-sound-bylaw-attempt (Tom Lucier, of the Phog Lounge, shares his take on the subject)

So there you go- just thought you should know. If you’re opposed to this recommendation, plan to be at next week’s council session, where they plan to debate the topic.