One of the Town of Hanna's newest bylaws passed first and second reading at the May 12 regular meeting of council.

Chief Administrative Officer (CAO) Matthew Norburn and Bylaw Officer Skye Suntjens presented draft Bylaw 1046-2026, the Community Standard Bylaw, which he noted was being presented for first and second reading.

Norburn explained that staff were recommending only two readings at the current council meeting because some new elements were added, and allowing some time to pass before third reading would give residents a chance to read the bylaw.

Norburn also observed that the draft bylaw addresses areas of concern. “I think what Skye noticed when she looked at others, and I have too, is that they’re very focused on stuff that’s happened in the town in the past and they wanted to address it,” said Norburn to council.

Mayor Danny Povaschuk agreed with waiting for third reading, as it gives councillors a chance to become familiar with the proposed bylaw.

The CAO reiterated that the delay for third reading will also give councillors a chance to make a list of suggestions or changes they’d like to see in the bylaw, if any.

The staff memo introducing the draft bylaw noted that it consolidates two existing bylaws, solves issues with old bylaws being outdated, tending toward inconsistent enforcement or allowing gaps, and provides modernization in areas like clarity, enforceability and alignment with other municipalities.

The first section listed in the bylaw is for “unsightly premises,” which in part noted, “No owner or occupant shall cause or permit a premises to become or remain an unsightly premises. No owner or occupant shall permit a building, structure or fence on a premises to become dilapidated or to exhibit visual evidence of a lack of general maintenance and upkeep. An owner or occupant of a premises under construction or demolition shall ensure that all building materials and waste materials on the premises are contained or secured to prevent them from being blown, scattered, or deposited beyond the boundaries of the premises; and removed from the premises or placed in appropriate waste containers within a reasonable time.”

A section called “Nuisances” noted, “No owner or occupant shall allow or cause any opaque or dense smoke or dust to be emitted into the atmosphere from the premises, bright lights to shine into neighbouring premises, stagnant water to remain on the premises to avoid it becoming a potential breeding place for mosquitoes or other pests, or any condition on a premises that is likely to attract, shelter, or harbour vermin or pests, including but not limited to accumulations of refuse, debris, or unmanaged organic material.”

The next section, “Snow removal from sidewalks,” noted, “Every owner or occupant of a premises shall remove all snow from any public sidewalk adjacent to the premises, including driveway crossings, within 24 hours after snowfall. Snow shall be removed to the full width of the sidewalk and to the sidewalk surface as completely as reasonably possible.”

The bylaw also described how the Town of Hanna would handle enforcement and how appeals to tickets could be undertaken.

Councillors unanimously passed both first and second readings.