Full Resource - City of Edmonton

Make A Better City
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Community standards & bylaws
Community standards are rules of conduct shaped by the City of
Edmonton and approved by City Council. These rules are created to help
ensure the health and safety of citizens, to keep the city clean, to protect
the environment and to set standards for acceptable and non-acceptable
behaviour and activities of citizens, residents and visitors.
The Municipal Government Act authorizes the City of Edmonton to
pass bylaws and enforce regulations. In Canada, local governments are
responsible for managing safety, health and welfare and for protecting
people and property.
Often, changes in legislation are initiated by social issues brought
forward by individual citizens and groups. Some recent examples of
this include adding regulations for panhandling, idling and graffiti and
removing restrictions on owning certain dog breeds. To bring forward
recommendations, citizens are invited to speak at City Council.
The City researches social concerns, invites citizens to express their
opinions and then recommends bylaws for approval by City Council. In
some cases, the City Council may decide not to pass proposed legislation.
Bylaws & law enforcement
Edmonton has several essential bylaws. The Community Standards
Bylaw is an example of a fundamental bylaw that sets basic minimum
standards for property ownership. When someone does not maintain their
property, others have reason to ask the City to take action. “Nuisances” are
resolved first through education. If action is not taken, the property owner
is issued a warning or fine. After that, the City will clean up the site and
add the cleanup costs to the owner’s property tax bill.
Source-Based Research
The City of Edmonton provides
information and resources, many related
to bylaws and community standards, at
www.edmonton.ca/bylaws.
Law enforcement is part of the responsibilities of local government. It
broadly refers to the ways that governments ensure obedience to laws.
This is done first by promoting compliance through education and then
through forms of punishment, such as fines. The City of Edmonton
maintains safety and order by enacting fundamental bylaws, providing
public education, and by applying fair, objective and consistent law
enforcement.
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