Power of entry
Power of entry
Between February 1 to March 31, 2010 the municipalities of Vancouver, Richmond and Whistler will have the authority to enter onto private property and remove illegal signs. The provisions require that the removal of illegal signs occur at a reasonable time and in a reasonable manner, and that reasonable steps are taken to notify the owner.
To ensure that the authority to remove illegal signs is used only when absolutely required, to deal with illegal commercial signs, a protocol has been developed which clearly states that:
- staff is to use this power only in relation to illegal commercial signs;
- staff is not to enter a private dwelling to remove such a sign under this power except
- with the consent of the owner or occupier, or
- pursuant to a warrant issued by an independent judicial officer, or
- in cases of significant risk to the health or safety of the occupier or other persons; and
-staff will report to Council after the Games on the use of this power.
The decision to use the legislated power to remove illegal commercial signs from private property will be made by the City Manager, Deputy City Manager, or General Manager of Community Services, based on the following criteria:
- visibility of the illegal sign from locations with high spectator presence, key transportation routes, or media focus;
- aesthetic impact of the sign on the city’s image; and
- potential risk to health or safety of anyone.
There will be no exceptions to the by-law including ownership of a commercial sign – that is, an illegal sign installed by a Games sponsor will be treated in the same way as a sign installed by another party.
