A public hearing on Bylaw 327, a Land Use Bylaw Amending Bylaw on the railway station area, was postponed by council. Administration had recommended postponing the hearing to give Parks Canada more time to complete their legal review of the bylaw. The hearing will be re-advertised once a date has been confirmed.
Councillor Leslie Taylor made a notice of motion: “That council direct administration to investigate the advantages and disadvantages of a separate land use category for employee residences, and bring a report to council with that information and a recommendation on whether this change should be made to the Land Use Bylaw.” Council voted in favour of the motion, asking for a report to come back before the end of December.
Council passed the Procedures Bylaw 44-6 and Committee Appointments Policy C019-1. They had discussed amendments to the bylaw and policy at length at their August 19 meeting, making several changes and asking administration to add additional changes before approving it. It was back on the table September 9, and they approved both with amendments.
A Community Standards Bylaw Amendment that would have required businesses to shut their doors when it became -10C or colder outside was unanimously voted against by council during second reading. Downtown businesses often prop their doors open in the winter to encourage potential customers to enter their establishment. The Town of Banff regularly receives letters, online Action Requests and verbal complaints about how the practice does not match the vision of a sustainable national park community. But council stated the bylaw would have delved more deeply into business practices than ever before, and could potentially hurt the local retail sector, as closed doors are seen as an obstacle to doing business. It was noted while they voted against the bylaw, they were hopeful businesses would consider changing their practice of leaving doors open in cold temperatures.
Council authorized the Town of Banff to enter into an agreement with the Canadian Rockies School division to conduct a joint election, contingent on the school board requiring election services this October when electing board members.