Bylaw Compliance & Services

Bylaw Office Hours: Monday to Friday 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. Residents may contact the Bylaw Enforcement Department by calling City Hall. Calls for services after bylaw office hours will be managed through the City’s answering service. If it is of an urgent nature, please contact the North Okanagan RCMP at 250-546-3028, or in case of an emergency, please call 911.

Bylaw Compliance & Services

The Bylaw Department provides the community with services related to municipal regulatory issues and is deployed on a complaint – driven basis. The Bylaw Department desires to protect the quality of life for citizens and endeavors to promote civic responsibility while striving to encourage good relationships between neighbours.

The City of Armstrong’s bylaws set standards, boundaries, acceptable conduct, and values based on the Community Charter and needs of the City. Bylaw Officers investigate complaints received from the public. These include Regulatory Bylaws such as Business Licensing, Dog Control, Good Neighbor, Zoning, Traffic, Parking etc.

The goal of the Bylaw department is voluntary compliance which is guided by the City’s Bylaw Enforcement Policy 5-500-8 that focusses on education, to benefit citizens, businesses and the community.

Bylaw Compliance & Services operations occur on a complaint basis; however, a Bylaw Officer, may initiate investigations and conduct inspections when violations involve the health and safety of our community, residences and businesses.

The City will use discretion on a case-by-case basis to evaluate contraventions and take reasonable steps to investigate contraventions. The Bylaw department responds to calls for service based on priority set at Council’s discretion. Council may identify enforcement goals for the year that include focus on emerging bylaw enforcement trends, identifying areas that may require greater proactive enforcement, or prioritize levels of proactive enforcement.

How do I get in touch with the Bylaw Compliance & Services Department?

Residents may contact the Bylaw Compliance & Services Department by calling City Hall or completing the form displayed below. Complaints may be received on a 24/7 basis.

Bylaw Office Hours: Monday to Friday 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m.

Calls for services after bylaw office hours will be managed through the City’s answering service. If it is of an urgent nature, please contact the North Okanagan RCMP at 250-546-3028, or in case of an emergency, please call 911. The City of Armstrong provides seasonal coverage based on calls for services through a contracted service and is managed by the City’s Chief Bylaw Officer/Manager of Community Services.

How do I file a complaint?

Complaints must be initiated in person, by written complaint (e-mail or letter), by phone or through the complaint form below.

A complaint with respect to an alleged contravention of a municipal bylaw must provide:

– The name, address and contact information of the complainant;
– A description of the nature and location of the alleged contravention.

All complainants MUST provide their full name, civic address and contact information.

Complainants’ information is not released for the following reasons:

– It is an unreasonable invasion of personal privacy as identified in the Freedom of Information, Protection of Privacy Act (FOIPPA) Legislation.
– It is supplied in confidence in relation to the complainant.
– It is detrimental to a bylaw enforcement investigation and or its outcomes.
– It would reveal the identity of a confidential source of bylaw enforcement information.

What is the next step once my complaint is received?

Complaints will be investigated on a priority basis based on the following criteria:

– Health, safety, and security of the public;
– Damage to the environment;
– The impact of the violation on the community;
– The impact of the violation on the complainant;
-The nature of the complaint and the allegation (ie. repeat offence).

Depending on the nature of the complaint, the Bylaw Enforcement Officer may contact the complainant for additional detail and may provide expected timelines for the complaint to be addressed or provide reasons why the complaint will not be investigated.

In determining whether to commence enforcement proceedings, the City may consider one or more of the following criteria:

– Whether public safety is at risk;
– The scale, nature, and duration of the contravention;
– The amount of time that has lapsed since the contravention occurred;
– The impact of the contravention on the community;
– The resources available to resolve the matter;
– The costs associated with enforcement action;
– The probability of a successful outcome;
– The policy implications of the enforcement action and the potential for precedents;
– Whether enforcement may be a deterrent in future cases.

The City’s primary enforcement objective shall be to obtain voluntary compliance.

If voluntary compliance is not achieved, the City may exercise enforcement powers in accordance with the following remedies:

– The issuance of an Order to Comply;
– The issuance of a Municipal Ticket or Bylaw Offence Notice;
– Quasi-criminal proceedings in Provincial Court, including prosecutions under the Offence Act, and any other remedy as set out in Section 260 of the Community Charter;
– Supreme Court injunction proceedings as set out in Section 274 of the Community Charter;
– Remedial action and any other remedy as set out in Part 3, Divisions 5-12 of the Community Charter, and the City may further seek to fulfill those requirements at the expense of the person in contravention, in accordance with the provisions of Section 17 of the Community Charter.

The City retains the discretion to not commence enforcement proceedings in accordance with one or more of the criteria listed in Section 4.1 of the Bylaw Enforcement Policy.

Please Note:

To contact the City of Armstrong please email us directly: info@cityofarmstrong.bc.ca or call at 250-546-3023

Comments and Complaints

Complaints are received on a 24 hour basis; however, if the matter is urgent and outside regular City Hall office hours (M-F 8:30-4:30) please call the office to be connected to a person.

Anonymous complaints will not be accepted.

All complainants must provide complete information according to this form.
The City of Armstrong’s priority is to protect all Complainants’ information. Information is not released for the following reasons:
• It is an unreasonable invasion of personal privacy as identified in the Freedom of Information, Protection of Privacy Act (FOIPPA) Legislation.
• It is supplied in confidence in relation to the complainant.
• It is detrimental to a bylaw enforcement investigation and or its outcomes.
• It would reveal the identity of a confidential source of bylaw enforcement information.

Contact Information

3535 Bridge Street, PO Box 40
Armstrong, BC, V0E 1B0
Canada