BARRHEAD - The County of Barrhead enforcement services department will be expanding.
In separate motions during their June 17, councillors voted 6 to 1 to hire an additional full-time community peace officer (CPO) and to award a $57,360 contract excluding GST to Wolfe Chevrolet for a 2025 Chevy Silverado SSV that will be used as a patrol vehicle for the new officer.
Council also authorized administration to take an estimated $77,141 out of unrestricted reserves to equip the above vehicle and purchase additional equipment to allow the new member to do their job as a CPO.
Coun. Walter Preugschas voted in opposition to all three motions.
Councillors at a recent committee of the whole meeting instructed the administration to provide information on what would be needed to expand the Enforcement Services department, including potential budget ramifications, and bring it to council for possible consideration.
In 2023, the municipality decided to bring their bylaw enforcement services in-house after contracting out the service to various neighbouring municipalities.
The impetus for the move away from the contracted service, in which the municipality received roughly 80 hours of monthly bylaw enforcement and consulting services, was that the increasing cost of the contract rivalled the price at which the county could hire and equip a full-time CPO and provide a much more comprehensive service.
In late December 2023, the municipality hired Shae Guy as its CPO.
Guy said out of his hours, the majority are dedicated to duties related to enforcement. Specifically, he noted that 0.95 full-time equivalent (FTE) hours were devoted to enforcement, while 0.05 FTE, or nine hours a month, was allocated to emergency management.
"We've been fully operational since February 2024, and since then, I've driven about 73,000 kilometres," he said.
Guy added that he currently operates on a rotating schedule, covering seven days a week.
Although the typical workday differs, his shifts usually start as early as 8 a.m. and end as late as 10 p.m.
"It fluctuates with the seasons and complaints," Guy said.
As for enforcement, he said, the department is responsible for overseeing all county bylaw enforcement, including the Land-use Bylaw, enforcement of off-highway vehicles, and, more recently, due to the passage of the new Golf Cart Pilot Project Bylaw, golf carts as well as the Animal Control, Municipal Reserves, Traffic, Prevention and Controls of Fires, and Fire Works Community Standards bylaws.
Guy added that he and the administration are also drafting a special events bylaw, which he hopes to present to council for consideration soon.
In addition, he said the enforcement department also enforces several provincial laws, including the Traffic Safety Act and the Animal Protection Act, among others and is responsible for implementing and updating the municipality's Traffic Safety Plan.
"We also provide emergency response assistance to Barrhead Regional Fire Services, support EMS, through the fire department and the RCMP," Guy said.
Guy added that he also attempts to be proactive, initiating patrols in subdivisions, campgrounds, and transfer stations and being visible to prevent issues before they arise.
He also noted that as part of his public engagement efforts, he does his best to attend as many community events as possible.
Statistics
In 2024, Guy actioned 1,363 files and received 309 public complaints, issuing 589 tickets and 666 warnings.
However, those numbers drastically increased in the first five months of 2025, with Guy actioning 694 files, 163 complaints, 356 tickets and 359 warnings.
"If we keep the pace, we are going to have 1,500 files and 370 complaints, so a bit of an increase, that's for sure," he said.
Challenge and demand for services and patrols
Guy said the demand for his services continues to rise, with Pembina Hills School Division and parent groups requesting an increasing number of school zone patrols, school bus fly-by enforcement, and other services.
"We are also doing our best to make sure we are staying on top of changes to provincial legislation, bylaws, policies and procedures," he said, but as that work, along with that required for emergency management, other work, namely patrols, community engagements and other pro-active measures decrease. "But, we do the best to make it work."
He said the municipality would also need to expand its department if the council opts for Enforcement Services to start conducting "immediate roadside sanctions" to stop impaired driving.
"That will be a council decision, but it is something to flag," he said, adding it is something other municipalities are considering.
Guy added in the future, he will likely need to allocate more time to emergency management as a result of the province's proposed Bill C-49 (Public Safety and Emergency Services Statutes Amendment Act).
"Quite a few changes are coming for emergency management," he said. "Legislating the need for mandatory evacuation plans for municipalities, among others that will require changes to our emergency management plan as well as the development of others."
Guy noted that the municipality was still working on finalizing multiple emergency plans, including one for livestock and another for emergency social services.
"All of which is on the back burner because of the lack of resources," he said.
Guy said there are several benefits to adding an additional CPO to the department, including more timely response to complaints, more consistent, proactive enforcement, the ability to continue or expand support to other emergency services, such as the fire department, added officer safety by having both officers attend difficult calls, and enhanced rural crime prevention through improved law enforcement visibility.
Guy said the con-side includes the time to implement, which can be six months or more, difficulty in finding qualified candidates, the public perception that the municipality is in it for the money, and the drain on the municipality's coffers.
The municipality estimated the initial cost of expanding the program at $128,500 to equip the new officer and an additional $182,500 for salary and benefits, materials, supplies, and services, as well as contributions to reserves.
Preugschas questioned the need for an additional officer.
He said when council opted to create its own in-house enforcement services program, it was in large part to increase CPO availability and hours.
"We did that, almost doubling it. Now we are saying we need more hours still," Preugschas. "I am concerned we are increasing our budget and making policing such an important thing."
He also questioned how effective an extra CPO would be in lowering crime.
"I know you are a bylaw officer, and crime is something for police but has [added CPO presence] resulted in a decrease in crime," Preugschas asked.
He also asked if the municipality had undertaken any public engagement on the impact expanding the program would have on its operational and capital budgets.
Guy said statistics, including those for Barrhead, show crime is trending downwards, but he believes his and other CPOs' presence does act as a deterrent.
"We have seen a decrease in people stealing things from transfer stations, but it would be hard to say there has been a large decrease in crime because I am out there driving around," he said. "But with increased patrols, we are deterring some kinds of crime."
Coun. Paul Properzi added when council first opted to create its own Enforcement Services department was responsible for dealing with bylaw enforcement issues only.
"Now, you are also looking after emergency management," he said.
County manager Debbie Oyarzun said that, in terms of public engagement, the question was included as part of the annual budget survey, noting the results show respondents being in favour of additional bylaw enforcement.
Guy agreed, saying although his experience, while admittedly informal, points to the same conclusion.
"Residents have come up to me and said we need more [enforcement], as well as other [county] departments have said we need more capacity," he said.
Barry Kerton, TownandCountryToday.com
