(File photo/battlefordsNOW Staff)

By Tyler Marr

RATS AND DOGS

Animal based complaint letters cross table of town council

Aug 21, 2019 | 12:00 PM

Two animal based letters to council drew discussion among town lawmakers this week.

The first concerned residents who claim they found a rat in their garage on July 22.

“Luck had it we were able to catch it,” the letter from senior taxpayers Dennis and Phyllis Goosen read.

They questioned what the town had in place for rat control and were concerned where the rodent may have rolled in from.

“Just know if theirs (sic) one their (sic) will be more,” they wrote.

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The couple said they have driven down back alleys and found run down sheds and junk that is “not acceptable for the amount of taxes we pay.”

They asked town council to contact pest control to look after the matter.

Mayor Ames Leslie called the situation unfortunate and said prior to his resignation, the public safety officer was handing out letters of remedy that asked people to clean their back alleys.

“As for the presence of a rat it is unfortunate but I have never heard of that in my 41 years I have lived here but anything is possible,” he said.

Long time resident and councillor Gordan Yard agreed. “It is rare for us to have this in town. I have been here quite a long time too and I have never heard it.”

Town workers, Leslie said, will keep an eye out and take appropriate action if more rats are found to keep the community safe.

Next up was a letter about a noisy dog who continues to bark and is causing a nuisance for a shift worker in the town.

A letter from Kent and Val Hauk said one of their neighbours purchased a dog about two years ago. Recently, they claim it has started to bark for no reason at all. As Val is a shift worker, the dog’s continuous barking is interrupting her sleep.

The letter said Kent asked the owner to settle down the dog but the owners simply said that is what dogs do, told him to have his wife sleep downstairs, accused them of teasing the dog and told them to move into an old folks home.

“It is very sad when you can’t enjoy your yard because of a dog,” they wrote.

Battleford CAO John Enns-Wind said he has gone past the home three times – once on the weekend, one evening and during the work day— and has not heard the dog. While the town does have a nuisance barking bylaw, he said it is difficult to fine someone when the dog is not caught barking.

“These are challenging and difficult and unfortunately we don’t always get good neighbour conversations going either,” he told council. “I have dropped off a couple of letters of warning on neighbours and I have not heard back.”

Lawmakers voted to accept the letter and continue to monitor the situation. The mayor declared a conflict on interest on the matter and excused himself from debate.

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tyler.marr@jpbg.ca

On Twitter: @JournoMarr