High enough to keep the moose out
By Craig Westcott
CBS council members found themselves passing a ream of bylaws last month, everything from rules regarding where you can park a commercial motor vehicle to when and how you can have an open fire.
All told there were 15 sets of by-laws, including ones governing taxis, bicycle helmets and how the Town deals with tax arrears.
“These are changes that have come under the new Towns and Local Service Districts Act, which effective January 1, 2025 replaces the Municipalities Act of 1999,” said Deputy Mayor Andrea Gosse. “So, before what were our rules and regulations are now all being replaced and being called bylaws.”
Only one of the bylaws included an actual change in the rules – the one pertaining to fences.
“This one comes from the planning committee,” said Ward 3 councillor Gerard Tilley, who co-chairs that committee with councillor-at-large Rex Hillier.
“There is one change to the Fence Bylaw,” said Tilley. “So, in addition to updating the former regulations to reflect the new legislative requirements, we’re increasing the maximum permitted height of agricultural fences from 1.2 metres to 2.4 metres.”
In English measurement terms that is a doubling from four feet high to eight feet high.
Tilley said the change is designed to keep moose out of people’s gardens.
The other rules regarding fences, such as that wooden fence posts must be at least 23.5 inches below grade with that portion of the post either pressure treated or coated with a wood preserver, remain the same. Some of those other rules include that front yard fences on residential properties be no higher than four feet above the grade of land, with side and rear fences six feet high or less. The maximum fence height for the front of a commercial or industrial property is just below nine feet. Side and back of property fences for commercial properties can also be up to nearly nine feet, except in cases where they abut a residential lot, in which case they are restricted to six or 6.5 feet high, depending on whether the fence is being used to protect an open storage lot.