On April 24, 2024, Vancouver City Council will be reviewing a staff report regarding proposed amendments to the Vancouver Noise Control By-law. The meeting agenda, report, video link and link to write Council is here (agenda item #4 – https://council.vancouver.ca/20240423/regu20240423ag.htm). The staff report was released on April 17, for a presentation to council just days later. Within five days, several experts and the public quickly reviewed the content and have written to Council. Below we share, with permission, a number of letter that were sent to Council. More will be added. Time is short, so we post this now, but as time permits we will fill in more details. For more background please also see our Vancouver Noise Task Force web page (https://cityhallwatch.wordpress.com/special-topics/noise-task-force/).
- Jan Mayes – (retired audiologist)
- Elvira Lount – Noise bylaw, and letter on West End Waterfront project
- Dr. David Sadoway BES, MRM, PhD, Right to Quiet Society – Director At Large, Faculty-Instructor Kwantlen Polytechnic University (Department of Geography and the Environment / Policy Studies). With input from Arline Bronzaft
- Saul Pilar
Jan Mayes – (Retired Audiologist)
Dr. David Sadoway, with input from Arline Bronzaft
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Elvira Lount – comment on staff report
Dear Mayor and Council;
I have reviewed the “Noise Control By-law Review – Phase One” and compared it with the existing Noise Control ByLaw.
Based on that, is it not premature for Council to approve a revised Noise Control Bylaw prior to hiring an acoustical engineer to conduct a technical review of specific decibel limits and consulting with the engineer, partners and stakeholders in regards to commercial premises and special events?
Regarding the proposed changes. I find it interesting that the following clause has been moved from a position of prominence as Clause 3 in the current bylaw to behidden further down, at the bottom of a revised clause 3 as 1j.
3.1j any noise or sound made in a street, park or similar public place that disturbs or tends to disturb unreasonably the quiet, peace, rest, enjoyment, comfort or convenience of persons in the neighbourhood or vicinity.
…especially as it’s in the City Charter!
Section 323 (b) of the Vancouver Charter authorizes Council to make by-laws to regulate noises or sounds within the city which disturb, or tend to disturb, the quiet, peace, rest, enjoyment, comfort or convenience of the neighbourhood, or of persons in the vicinity.”
Thank you for your attention to this important issue. We look forward to input into Phase 2.
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Saul Pilar – comment
“The noise that bothers me as a Vancouver citizen is the use of emergency vehicle sirens in the middle of the night on the bridges. The traffic is absolutely empty. The noise affects tens of thousands of people who live in the high rises around. It increases the stress and the anxiety and depression of our population unnecessarily.”
This topic of siren noise is an important one and is likely out of Vancouver’s jurisdiction, however the City should be able to lobby the BC Government for more control over sirens, especially at night.
Useful reference -: https://safesirens.org/
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Elvira Lount on the West End Waterfront Plan – letter
https://elviralount.medium.com/west-end-waterfront-plan-1f6be2fe86bb
CityHallWatch: Tools to engage in Vancouver city decisions 
The noises that are bothersome are weed-eaters and other gas-powered machines for lawns; and, motorcycles whose mufflers are over the legal limit of allowable noise.