The Weyburn Police Service last week handled some complaints that fall under the City of Weyburn's noise bylaw. 

According to the bylaw, noise is defined as a sound that unreasonably disturbs a person, or a sound that is likely to disturb a reasonable person in an area where people are present or residing, or may reasonably be expected to be present or residing.

Factors for determining 'reasonableness' may include, but are not limited to, the kind of sound, the volume of the sound, the duration of the sound, whether the sound is intermittent or constant, the time of day or night the sound occurs.

For example, 11:00 p.m. may be considered to be a time when most people in the City of Weyburn are commencing their evening rest, and 7:00 a.m. may be considered to be a generally accepted time in the City of Weyburn for the commencement of normal daytime sounds.

Other factors include the proximity of the sound to areas where people are or may reasonably be expected to be, the weather as an aggravating or ameliorating circumstance respecting its effect on the opening and closing of residential windows, the land use, nature or zoning of the area from which the sound emanates and the area where it is received, the nature of the event or activity from which the sound emanates, whether the sound has an intimidating, insulting or vulgar quality, whether the sound interferes with the normal conduct of business, and whether the sound causes loss of enjoyment or normal use of property.

Deputy Chief Brent VanDeSype said they pay a visit to the person being reported for noise and ask them to comply by turning down the noise. 

"If it is loud enough or disturbing to other residents in the area, but if it is a repeat issue where they've received numerous warnings, well, then it may be time to issue a ticket under the bylaw." 

The bylaw also states that, in the absence of other evidence, or by way of corroboration of other evidence, a court of competent jurisdiction may infer from the evidence of a police officer that a sound is noise as it is above defined.

Read more HERE.