Engagement has concluded

• Survey

  CLOSED: This discussion has concluded.

  Share your thoughts on the Public Spaces Bylaw Review through the online survey.

  

• Project Background

  CLOSED: This discussion has concluded.

  The Public Spaces Bylaw Review project was presented to the Community and Public Services Committee on September 9, 2022 when Administration presented its project plan to conduct a full scale review and revision of applicable bylaws that address behaviours and enforcement in transit and other public spaces. In order to address inconsistencies and unintended impacts, public space regulation needs to be reviewed holistically from a community safety and equity lens.

  City Administration will review all of the public spaces bylaws to develop a comprehensive, new bylaw to replace the existing bylaws. The primary scope of the work involves the replacement of the City’s three primary public spaces bylaws:

  • Public Places Bylaw (Bylaw 14614)
  • Parkland Bylaw (Bylaw 2202)
  • Conduct of Transit Passengers Bylaw (Bylaw 8353)

  
  

  The key objectives of this project are to provide clear legal parameters that apply to all public places in the city with clear, effective and equitable application of bylaws and enforcement measures. The project aims to simplify, remove redundancies and mitigate inconsistencies so bylaw terms are easily understood by Edmontonians and consistently applied by the teams who work with them.

• How is the City gathering feedback on this project?

  CLOSED: This discussion has concluded.

  Public Engagement will be completed at the ADVISE level of the City’s Public Engagement Spectrum. We want to know what is most important to consider around how the City regulates how and when people can do certain activities and behaviours in public spaces in Edmonton.

  

  To understand Edmontonians perspectives and concerns around this project, the City is using the following engagement opportunities:

  • Survey
  • Ideas tool
  • Questions tool
  • Meetings with equity seeking organisations who serve people in vulnerable circumstances
  • Meetings with the Community Services Advisory Board (CSAB)

  
  

  How are decisions made?

  City Administration is reviewing the three primary public spaces bylaws to develop a comprehensive, new bylaw to replace the existing bylaws. The three primary public spaces bylaws include:

  • Public Places Bylaw (Bylaw 14614)
  • Parkland Bylaw (Bylaw 2202)
  • Conduct of Transit Passengers Bylaw (Bylaw 8353)

  Other bylaws that contain regulations on behaviours in public spaces will be brought in-scope when appropriate.

  The bylaw topics that we are currently engaging on include:

  • Performances, small commercial activity and gatherings
  • Recreational activities
  • Panhandling, lingering without purpose, use of public space at night and visible drug use

  Feedback will be used along with technical analysis (including enforcement considerations, legal recommendations and scan of what other jurisdictions are doing) to help us review the bylaws and provide recommendations to City Council.