Emily Plihal
Local Journalism
Initiative Reporter
Peace River Administration has created a flowchart to address how bylaw complaints and encampment removals are handled in the community.
Mayor Elaine Manzer says this information will also provide information on what can be released publicly.
The flowcharts explain the processes from beginning to end.
“The flowchart should help everyone understand the processes that are used for bylaw enforcement and some of the considerations that lead to the slightly different processes,” explains Mayor Manzer.
“Protective Services has used an education first approach where possible to help everyone understand the rules.”
Administration is hoping to also post the flowcharts on the Peace River website to give clarity and transparency to the public. If community members are concerned about not knowing the town’s bylaws, they can rest at ease.
“Residents can go to the town’s website for a listing of bylaws,” explains Manzer. “Some issues that can trigger a review by a bylaw officer includes having unsightly premises, not following building codes or lacking permits for work being done, or not controlling animals.”
Manzer says there have been over 800 files opened in 2025 by Protective Services. She says the Protective Services team has helped with the removal of many encampments, helped with bylaw enforcement, and addressed traffic and other public complaints.
“Generally, fewer people also seem to be hanging around business doorways and streets,” says Manzer. “We currently have three protective services officers, but training sometimes reduces that number.”
The flowchart for bylaw enforcement processes shows the steps of how a officer reviews and addresses the complaint. A complete breakdown will be available to the public soon.
Encampment issues will also have a separate flowchart to show how they are addressed. The officer, when notified of an encampment or if they identify an encampment on patrol, will determine if it is on public land or private land. If it is on private land the officer will contact the landowner to inform them of the encampment. If it is on public land, and it is small and vacant, they will clean up the mess immediately. There are also rules in the flowchart about addressing larger encampments, including contacting RCMP and coordinating a team to clean up the encampment.
“The property owner becomes part of the enforcement process as they are responsible for what is happening on their property,” Manzer explains why the enforcement is different on private property. “Protective Services will provide information to the landowner about the problem, timelines to deal with the issue and sometimes will notify the RCMP depending upon the issue.”
A complete listing of steps taken for both bylaw and encampment issues will be listed on the town’s website in upcoming months.