That administration BE DIRECTED to prepare a report analyzing whether or not proactive by-law blitz would over time decrease the amount of complaints received, perhaps by engaging a part-time officer one day a month dedicated to such a blitz.
Discussion:
The By-law Enforcement Division currently has twelve Regular Full-Time By-Law Enforcement Officers. Ten officers are assigned to deal with complaints and issues in specific wards in the City, while two are designated ‘Floaters’, offering assistance in busier wards. These ‘floaters’ also offer assistance by focusing on enforcement activities that are more seasonal in nature (ie: Dog Tag renewal follow-ups). In 2019, Officers were able to respond to 13,926 total complaints, while receiving an average of 53.4 new calls each business day. It is important to note that an officer, on average, can complete 10 calls a day with many complaints requiring multiple additional visits to reach resolution. This disparity in numbers works to demonstrate the excess amount of work currently in the area.
As time allows, the By-law division will conduct proactive enforcement throughout the year. When responding to an assigned complaint, Officers will issue orders for infringements they see on their way to the complaint or while they are in the area. If their workload does not allow time for these actions, Officers will log the issue for follow up at a later date. Officers have a number of tasks to complete each day, with some Wards in the City busier than others. If an officer finishes their daily duties, they will often be assigned to either complete proactive enforcement in their assigned ward or will be redeployed to assist an officer in a busier ward that day.
The By-law Enforcement division currently does carry out blitz enforcement activities when able and when ongoing identified issues have occurred in the past. For example, on Easter and Mother’s Day weekends, a number of vendors are known to sell floral gifts in certain areas. In order to do so they must have proper licensing and follow certain rules regarding the physical set-up of their operation. By-law Officers will be sent to proactively enforce these regulations, as it has been an issue identified in the past. The division also conducts an annual University of Windsor blitz, which lasts for a duration of approximately 4 weeks (mid-April to mid-May). Officers actively search the area for infractions as there is a history of complaints during this time. In early 2020 a mobile sign blitz was completed, resulting in 55 instances of violations to the sign bylaw. Other blitz enforcement activities are held throughout the year, including randomized days checking for off-leash dogs in parks, enforcing parking and peddling by-laws during the fireworks display at the river, etc. In terms of additional enforcement, the Auxiliary division of the Windsor Policy provide proactive by-law enforcement in city parks from May-September. This enforcement is done after regular business hours and includes enforcement of the dog control bylaw, smoking bylaws and more.