Pelham's Town Council has passed a bylaw aimed at reining-in smelly industrial operations.
The Odorous Industries Nuisance bylaw, the final draft of which was presented to council by Tim Nohara, Chair of the Town's Cannabis Control Committee, on Monday, March 23, passed unanimously.
"Complaints from residents established the need for the Town to review all options available to regulate and prohibit adverse effects and public nuisances caused by odourous industrial facilities," read a Town statement released Friday, March 27.
“Working alongside staff and Town Council, the Cannabis Control Committee has put in a great deal of work on the bylaw we’ve adopted,” said Mayor Marvin Junkin. “This is a bylaw that has been drafted, redrafted, and continuously worked on — it will address the major concerns of our residents when it comes to odour in the community.”
The bylaw stipulates that no person shall operate an odorous industrial facility that causes an adverse effect or public nuisance, except in accordance with the provisions of the bylaw. It also states that the owner, occupier and/or operator of an odorous industrial facility shall produce for inspection all licences, registrations and other forms of authorization which permit the cannabis operation, or the heavy odour operation, as the case may be, on the property.
Regulations and penalties are also addressed in the bylaw, with fines ranging from $500 to $50,000 for a first conviction. The bylaw also gives bylaw enforcement officers powers of entry at any reasonable time for the purpose of carrying out an inspection to determine whether or not the bylaw is being complied with.
The bylaw will be in effect 90 days following its enactment.
