Municipal Enforcement

Call 403-601-3639 when you have a bylaw issue or concern; or use the Complaint Form.

Once your call is received, all pertinent information is collected and a report and file number is created.
After acknowledging receipt, staff may only contact you again if further details are required.
Complaint communications do not represent a decision by Municipal Enforcement to proceed or not proceed with further action and there are strict limits to the information staff can share with respect to follow-up.
If the matter at hand is an emergency that requires police, fire or ambulance services, call 911.

Annual Peace Officer Reports to the Province of Alberta

Responsibilities

Municipal Enforcement is responsible for enforcing bylaws, to protect people and property and to preserve and maintain the public peace. The Town of Nanton Peace Officers key responsibilities include:

Ensure public compliance with various town bylaws
Provide information and interpretation of Municipal Bylaw and Provincial Statue requirements to town residents
Administer town bylaws
Support and promote the mission, goals, objectives, policies, and procedures of the Town of Nanton
Education by awareness campaigns
Assist in public safety programs
Deal with complaints and inquiries
Prepare all necessary documents for prosecution of offenders including summons, subpoenas, witness statements, and court briefs

Please be Good Neighbours

Complaints CAN be resolved amicably between neighbours. Taking disputes to the 'next level' can harm that long term relationship permanently, so should be weighed carefully. It is recommended that neighbours first attempt to reasonably and respectfully resolve their issues before contacting Municipal Enforcement for assistance (if there is a legitimate bylaw complaint to be made). The Town does NOT get involved in private civil disputes and its bylaws are not there to facilitate the frivolous and vexatious pursuit of personal grievances.

Animal Control

We ask that all residents are responsible pet owners for safety reasons. This includes picking up waste, and maintaining control over your animal in public. If you see someone who is not pick up after their dog, please call 403-601-3639 or e-mail bylaw@nanton.ca.

Animal Control Bylaw
Dog license application and fees There is a limit of 3 dogs per household in Town. If you are a dog breeder, please consult the bylaw carefully or make an inquiry to the Town Office before initiating activities - you are still limited to 3 dogs over the age of 3 months in most cases.
The Nanton Animal Protection Society is a separate incorporated not for profit organization in town that is primarily a shelter and adoption program for stray and feral cats.
Other rescue organizations in the region that deal with dogs and cats include Heaven Can Wait Animal Rescue - Foothills, AB (High River) and Home | Claresholm CAReS (Claresholm).
The Town does not operate a shelter or pound for dogs.
Cats are subject to the Animal Control Bylaw but are not presently under any mandatory licensing or registration system.

Community Bylaw Regulations

The Community Bylaw regulations cover a wide range of rules and prohibitions in the interest of fostering a safe and relatively harmonious community. The main topics that Municipal Enforcement typically deal with under this bylaw are:

Unsightly premises
Noise
General nuisance

There have been two amendments to this bylaw since 2018:

Excessive Protective Elements (regulations around the use of surveillance technology)
Panhandling, loitering and illegal camping (further enhancement of regulations around trespass and nuisance on public property)

Depending on the offence, the Town has fairly powerful enforcement tools under this bylaw, including remedial action orders.

Key Bylaws/ Regulations

Before you File a Complaint

Complainant information is considered as confidential and will not be released to the person whose property is under complaint, unless under an order made by the Office of the Information and Privacy Commissioner.

The Town may request or require a complainant to act as a witness, should a case be required to be settled in court. This is usually done as a last resort, should the Town case be weak or should bylaw enforcement be unable to determine that a violation has occurred without the evidence of the complainant. A complainant would normally be informed of this requirement at the time of the initial complaint or during the investigative process.

The Town has complete discretion when it comes to acting on complaints. After investigation, a decision may be taken to proceed or not proceed with further action.

Education & Awareness

Lost & Found

Provincial Law Enforcement

Peace officers, under the Peace Officer Act of Alberta, are currently appointed to enforce the following provincial acts:

Traffic Safety Act
The Gaming, Liquor and Cannabis Act
The Environmental Protection and Enhancement Act
The Dangerous Dogs Act
The Animal Protection Act
The Tobacco, Smoking and Vaping Reduction Act
The Trespass to Premises Act
The Provincial Offences Procedure Act
The Petty Trespass Act
Service Dogs Act

For more information on these acts please visit the Alberta Justice and Solicitor General website.

Crime Prevention/ Reduction Information

Complaint/ Report Form

Full Name

All information will remain confidential. No anonymous complaints will be accepted – you must identify yourself to ensure complaint can be validated.

Phone Number

Address

Address 2

City/Town

Province

Postal Code

Description of Complaint

Upload a video file

Do you have a video file that provides understanding/ evidence with respect to your complaint?

One file only.
64 MB limit.
Allowed types: avi, mov, mp4, ogg, wav, webm.

Upload a document

Do you have a document that provides context or evidence with respect to your complaint?

Maximum 2 files.
64 MB limit.
Allowed types: txt, rtf, pdf, doc, docx, odt, ppt, pptx, odp, xls, xlsx, ods.

Access to Information and Privacy

The personal information collected through this form is collected under the authority of section 4(c) of Alberta’s Protection of Privacy Act for the purpose of receiving, reviewing, investigating and responding to municipal bylaw complaints. Personal information will be used and disclosed only as authorized by law.

Information provided in a complaint may be disclosed as necessary for an investigation or legal proceedings, in accordance with applicable legislation.

If you have any questions about the collection, use or disclosure of your personal information, please contact the Privacy and Information Coordinator at the Town of Nanton Administrative Office, 1907 – 21 Avenue, Box 609, Nanton, Alberta, T0L 1R0, or by telephone at (403) 646-2029.

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