$28,000 of fines were issued regarding unauthorized land alteration and tree cutting on the Sunshine Coast.
A further $1,000 was issued in relation to short term rentals and $250 for building infractions.
The SCRD has been inundated with noise complaints regarding the unauthorized tree cutting or terraforming.
“We understand there are concerns around issues such as unauthorized land clearing and noise. We share your concern and ask the community to please be patient while our hardworking bylaw officers investigate,” said Ian Hall, General Manager of Planning and Development. “We are limited to the amount of information we can share with the community because we do not want to compromise our investigations, but please know that our bylaw enforcement officers are actively investigating and issuing fines.”
The SCRD expects a further $7,000 of fines to be processed in the next week, bringing the total for July and August to nearly $37,000.
The SCRD is requesting people who are planning to do any development work to please call the district before they dig, build, or demolish. Contractors who are carrying out work such as tree cutting or land clearing are also subject to enforcement, and are required to have the proper permits as well.
“The SCRD always strives first for voluntary compliance so this amount is quite staggering as our current Board policy is to use fines as a last resort,” says Hall. “Such is the lack of compliance that we are issuing tickets daily in one of our bylaw investigations.”
Those who are doing development are asked to reach out to the proper departments, such as the SCRD Building Services, SCRD Planning, or SCRD Bylaw Enforcement if they have any questions.
