Like the contents in a septic tank, a proposed temporary camping bylaw for Athabasca has gone down the tubes after being defeated by council.
At the Nov. 24 regular county council meeting, councillors unanimously opposed second reading of the bylaw, which was devised to work in tandem with a proposed Land Use Bylaw (LUB) and Municipal Development Plan (MDP).
At an Oct. 27 public hearing regarding the LUB, residents lined up along the walls of council chambers to express their opposition to the bylaw.
“We’ve had the first reading, we’ve had a hearing,” said Coun. Paul Ponich at the Nov. 24 meeting. “From all the comments and reactions at that meeting and from elsewhere – all the comments I’ve received were in opposition to the bylaw, except for one.”
Coun. Kevin Haines also voiced his opposition to the bylaw, stating, “I think the public has been pretty loud and clear on this issue.”
“This is all part of democracy,” said Coun. Jack Dowhaluk. “This is a process that we do to give people a chance, give the public a chance to express their opinions, whether they’re in favour or not in favour.”
Coun. Denis Willcott made a motion to defeat the bylaw. However, chief administrative officer Ryan Maier and Reeve Doris Splane clarified that the motion would be to go to second reading, according to procedural rules.
Willcott asked to rescind his motion stating that he did not want his name attached to it.
“I tried to make a motion to kill it, and now you’re telling me I’m making a motion I’m OK with it,” Willcott said.
“You’re just asking us to go and make a decision one way or the other,” Splane said.
Ponich said once a motion is on the floor, it must be voted upon.
“According to our procedural bylaw, it may be withdrawn by unanimous consent of council,” Maier said. “If Denis wants to withdraw his motion, and everyone is in favour of withdrawing the motion, then he can withdraw a motion. If not unanimous consent, then Coun. Ponich is correct, you have to vote on it.”
Council put the withdrawal to a vote, which was defeated.
Council then went to a recorded vote for second reading, which they unanimously defeated.
With the proposed bylaw defeated it is back to the drawing board, said county director of planning and development Jesse Ajayi, speaking to media following the meeting.
The bylaw was developed to work hand-in-hand with the LUB, by determining how the county defines and regulates temporary camping.
County will have to decide whether it sticks with current temporary camping rules – which allow 14 days of camping at a time without a permit – or, it will have to come up with a new system entirely.
Once the decision is made, the LUB will be adjusted accordingly.
“In some way, that link has to be addressed,” Ajayi said. “The municipal planning commission is aware that now that this bylaw is dead, something else is going to have to be adjusted or revised.”
The county hopes to have the MDP and the LUB, along with whatever course of action county takes on temporary camping, finalized by next summer.
Several of the main concerns with the proposed bylaw included requirements for campers to register with the county before camping, and the need to obtain permits to install sewage tanks at their campsites.
Ajayi said numerous residents had voiced their concerns over the dumping of raw sewage from such trailers.
“I think the question people are asking is, is there another solution to addressing the disposal of raw sewage?” Ajayi said. “This registration system was one potential solution that we got a lot of feedback, on that led council to move away from that direction.
“The problem remains, and we – being council and the municipal planning commission – need to continue to think about ways to solve that problem,” Ajayi said.
County plans to have a second public hearing regarding the redistricting of some areas under the MDP, Ajayi said. The issue of temporary camping may be added to that meeting, however, details are undetermined as of yet.
