The Columbia Shuswap Regional District (CSRD) has adopted a new system to deal with bylaw disputes.
The CSRD Board of Directors approved the use of the Bylaw Dispute Adjudication System on Feb. 16, 2023, joining 110 other local governments across the province who already use this system.
The newly-adopted system allows tickets to be disputed out of court with an impartial adjudicator, and will look to shorten the time it takes to dispute a ticket and the need to take cases to court according to the CSRD. Adjudication meetings can take place in person, by phone, or in writing.
The adjudication model was introduced in 2004, piloted by three North Shore municipalities, as a way to free up staff and court time to deal with minor bylaw offences.
Municipalities adjacent to the CSRD are also discussing the potential for a joint registry agreement to lower the cost of using the adjudication system.
The Town of Golden adopted the use of the system back in 2017, and the City of Revelstoke will be assessing the viability of the system in the next few months.
According to the City of Revelstoke, the Town of Golden and the CSRD have confirmed their interest in working with them to create a joint registry, allowing for each of the local governments to split the fees related to the adjudication proportionally. Each municipality would each appoint a screening officer to represent them and review notices before being sent to adjudication.
Revelstoke councillors agreed on Feb. 2 to move forward with plans to bring the adjudication system to council for further evaluation with unanimous support.
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