Chickens and speed limits notable concerns in 2023

By Anna Smith
Commentator/Courier

Bow Island saw a wide range of enforcement throughout the 2023 year, and regionalization of emergency management shows promise for 2024, according to a report by Jason Schreiber, Municipal Enforcement for Bow Island.

A unique struggle he found this year was that the radar could not be perpendicular and get accurate speeds, which lead to a lot of drivers slowing down quickly before the radar would be able to pick them up.

“They’re slowing down which is good. But the initial catching and writing tickets for the speed sometimes can go a little. On Centre Street, right by Centennial Park is like the number one place where they’ll see me from a long ways away, we could probably make a fortune on brake pads,” said Schreiber.

Schreiber completed 277 reports over the year, though this doesn’t include small or quickly resolved issues that didn’t warrant an entire report. These reports included neighbour disputes, speeding, and instances of vandalism, among others.

A notable highlight of these reports included unlawful possession of chickens within town, an ongoing issue that at times relied on the help of civilians to find the correct vantage to spot the contraband fowl.

“Last year, I sent out three letters, notifying people that under the land use bylaw, you weren’t allowed to have chickens in town and every person complied with that and got rid of the chickens but it was either very sharp-eyed workers or people from the public that said, if you park just right and you look in between here you can see what they have going on in the yard,” said Schreiber.

This year he also tried a stay in Centennial Park Campground, which allowed Schreiber to observe various activities in the park, both for good or ill. It was noted that in the future they may wish to secure a different spot, as to allow for him to have some space when not on shift.

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