noise, Noise, NOISE!

This story was originally published in The Westshore newsletter, January 11, 2022.  

Coun. Matt Sahlstrom—who said he and his friends and family have been living in a construction zone for 14 years, so, "I feel your pain"—introduced amendments to the city’s noise bylaw in the Jan. 10 meeting to reduce the hours where outdoor construction is allowed.

By the end of a detailed conversation about blasting times, rock crushing, and the options to have swooshing instead of beeping on construction trucks, council agreed to have staff write an amendment to:

• cut off outside construction at 7pm on weekdays, instead of the current rule that allows work until sunset—almost 10pm in the summer;

• restrict noisy construction on Saturdays from 8am to 5pm, and prohibit it all together on Sundays and holidays; and

• continue to prohibit blasting and rock crushing on weekends.

Some changes were made after callers raised concerns. The initial draft said blasting and outdoor construction could happen on Saturdays, and on Sundays with a permit. Callers asked what parameters would be put on the permit, and worried that it would become a standard exception. Sahlstrom amended the motion to stop all blasting on weekends and holidays, and remove the option for the permit. Indoor construction, that is work that goes on after a building’s envelope is complete, is not affected by this noise bylaw.

Mayor Stew Young clarified that under extenuating circumstances exceptions would be made, such as for urgent public safety issues or emergencies. He stressed that while reducing noise disturbance is important, it has to be reasonable for jobs.

"You can’t ask construction sites to work from 9am to 3pm. Who’s going to come out to Langford for a six hour work day? We have to keep the jobs in Langford," he said.