When neighbours make noise

Half a dozen noise complaints over the weekend have prompted the St. Albert RCMP to remind residents to be considerate of their neighbours. The more people have to call about noise, the less time officers have to check on other calls, said Cpl. Laurel Kading.

“I don’t think people realize how much it happens and how little it takes to be really noisy,” she said. “We aren’t living in isolation and our interactions, what we do, can impact our neighbours.”

Noise complaints in St. Albert usually peak in the summer, when people open their windows and noise travels in from the outside. But with the warmer weather early this spring, the RCMP already had to respond to numerous complaints.

It’s not all loud and out-of-control parties that trigger those calls, said Kading. Sometimes it’s shift workers, who can’t sleep during the day. Other times, it’s parents of young children who complain about the neighbours partying late out on the deck.

“We will have people that are lovely, nice-meaning people, who are in their backyard and they get telling good stories and start laughing and they don’t realize they are waking the neighbours’ kids up,” she said.

The RCMP are now asking the public to be proactive and keep noise levels down. The more complaints officers have to investigate, the less visible they are in other areas of the city, said Kading.

She proposes that residents who plan a party tell their neighbours ahead of time. People can also discuss possible quiet hours, or organize a block party to meet each other. And they should listen when their neighbours come knocking on their door. The police should always be a last resort, she said.

“The fact that they’ve come and tried to talk to you is an indication that it’s a problem,” she said. “Nobody likes having to call and say, ‘I am calling on my neighbour because they won’t listen to me.’”

St. Albert does have a noise bylaw with set quiet hours. When the police are called to investigate a complaint, they usually ask residents to quiet down, or move their party inside.

But they will track if someone collects complaints, even if it’s over weeks. If the noise doesn’t stop, fines will be issued, said Kading. Fines for a first breach of the bylaw – which encompasses more than just the quiet hours – start at $250. Further offences can be taken to court, where fines can range up to $10,000.