Cumberland Council Looking At Enforcement Actions For Derwent Avenue Home

A longstanding issue over what the Village of Cumberland deems to be an unsightly property has it rethinking its enforcement bylaw.

A longstanding issue over what the Village of Cumberland deems to be an unsightly property has it rethinking its enforcement bylaw.

At a recent meeting, council tackled the matter of enforcement actions for a Derwent Avenue home facing multiple complaints but also, as a late item on the agenda, considered a ‘good neighbour’ bylaw to give the village more powers.

The village has an existing public nuisance bylaw, this bylaw is now enforced on a complaint basis.

In the Derwent Avenue case, the latest staff report cites 33 written complaints as well as phone calls from the public.

The village’s plan now is to give itself more enforcement tools and broader powers than in the current nuisance bylaw. 

The tools include cost recovery provisions from the property owner, such as fees for excessive service calls, compliance orders and abatement fees, or ticket fines.