(Alison Sandstrom/paNOW Staff)

By Alison Sandstrom

Curfew consultation

City begins public consultation on back alley bylaw

Feb 18, 2020 | 3:43 PM

As Prince Albert city council appears posied to ban access to public walkways at night, the city’s politicians are also making progress on the more complicated potential curfew in back alleys.

People who live or own property next to a rear lane will be receiving a letter from the city within the next week. The inclosed three-question survey will ask residents how they use their alleyway access (for parking, garbage disposal, pedestrian access, etc.), if and how a curfew would impact them, and whether they believe there should be exemptions to that curfew.

The results will help council determine who would be allowed in back alleys and in what circumstances under the potential bylaw.

“Both council and adminstration realize that it’s very important that people still have access to their back alleys,” Director of Planning and Development Craig Guidinger told paNOW. “Because we’ve got about 5,000 households that actually back onto a back alley.”

Since the idea for bylaw was introduced in August, it’s sparked animated debate and been the subject of numerous city reports. While the majority of councillors see it as meaningful step to combat property crime, the potential for racial profiling has also been raised.

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The deadline to respond to the survey is March 6. Guidinger will present the results of the consultation to council later that month or in April.

“Once council sees these exemptions they’ll have to make the final call with whether or not they want to move ahead with the bylaw,” he explained.

At that point, councillors could have adminstration draft the bylaw, meaning it could potentially come into force as early as the end of the spring, or ask for more consultation.

An amendment to the current parks bylaw that would ban access to the city’s pathways between 12 a.m. and 6 a.m. is expected to pass final reading at Monday night’s city council meeting.

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alison.sandstrom@jpbg.ca

On Twitter: @alisandstrom