Why do we have Bylaws

Paul Tercier  July 2020

While the philosophy of the Summer Village has always been to keep out of the way of residents, there are always some areas where regulations and guidance are needed. As the number of people in the village has risen, it has become apparent that more oversite is needed to keep our neighbours happy. Some of the things that we have to regulate are for safety or health reasons, Often those are based on Provincial or Federal laws that we have to follow.
Other stuff is like the animal control bylaw, tax rate bylaws(every year), even a bylaw establishing the Assessor's position.
So far the Summer Village has passed a total of 172 bylaws, Some are replacements for obsoleted bylaws from earlier Councils. Approximately 1/2 of them are administrative in nature to meet requirements at the provinicial or federal regulatory level.
When your council determines that a bylaw is required, it has to be drafted to fit legal requirements and then is brought forward at a council meeting, although in larger legislatures it may be first discussed in committee meeting held specifically for this purpose. Once the bylaw meets the council's requirements, it is brought forward to 1st reading, and then gets re-evaluated to determine if any changes should be made. Second and Third readings follow, usually at separate meetings.
As always the council tries to consult with the citizens of the village to make our regulations relevant and able to provide the best balance of convenience and compliance. If you have a request or questions about any of the by-laws for the village please contact the office or your council member.