CITY OF KAWARTHA LAKES UPDATES BY-LAWS
By Kirk Winter
At the Committee of the Whole on February 4, 2020 staff from the Municipal Law Enforcement and Licensing Division introduced by-law changes for Council’s approval.
By-law 2014-026 - a by-law to require owners of yards within Kawartha Lakes to clean and clear them.
Staff has determined that the Clean and Clear by-law requires that all grass and weeds be kept to a maximum height of eight inches. An increasing trend by some property owners is to allow their lawns to re-vegetate with higher plants and trees which, in some instances, become a contravention of this by-law.
Staff has discovered that this by-law conflicts with the current CKL Official Plan which contains policies to protect lake water quality by encouraging shoreline naturalization and the reinstatement of tree cover.
With that in mind, staff asked that Council change the wording in the subsection under Debris to read: “This by-law shall not apply to lands designated and/or zoned Open Space, Environmental Protection, Agriculture and lands designated as Waterfront, Prime Agricultural or rural within 20 metres of waterfront, a wetland, water body or watercourse. This shall include any property fronting onto a water body within designated hamlet settlement areas and urban settlement areas.”
Approved by Council
By-law 2013-043 – a by-law to regulate the fortification of land
Staff recommended the following wording change in this by-law that prevents individuals or groups from fortifying property or buildings: “(If fines) are invoked, an administrative fee will be charged. If not paid, the fee shall be added to the tax roll of the property and shall be collected in a like manner as municipal taxes.”
By-law 2016-210 – a by-law to license, regulate and govern transient trader businesses in Kawartha Lakes
Staff has updated the licensing fees that out-of-town traders and sales people have to pay so they can sell in CKL at auctions or craft shows.
The new licensing fees are as follows:
Annual transient trader license - $300
Special community event 1-5 transient traders - $25 per transient trader
Special community event 5 or more transient traders - $25 for the first five vendors, $15 per each additional transient trader
Door-to-door transient trader license - $500
License replacement –$ 15
The denizens of the press gallery were surprised by how little debate there was on these updates as two in particular still pose some vexing questions that might become controversial moving forward.
By-law 2014-026 – Will a lawn made up of wild flowers to assist pollinators in the spring be in contravention of the eight inch maximum for vegetation?
By-law 2016-210 – In conversations that I have had with members of the BIA in Lindsay many were hoping for much steeper licensing fees for out-of-town businesses, particularly the out-of-town auctioneers who arrive three or four times a year with their truck loads of furniture and electronics. One owner I contacted for comment was not happy with the $300 licensing fee for an entire year. He said, “At minimum the fee should be applied to each auction they host in CKL. A one-time $300 fee does not protect us from the predatory practices of these companies dumping their refurbished electronics and end of line furniture at prices we simply can’t compete against. Somebody at By-law wasn’t listening.”