Noisy neighbours at 3 a.m.? Hamilton bylaw officer hours expanded overnight to handle complaints

Samantha Beattie · CBC News

· Posted: Mar 25, 2025 12:31 PM EDT | Last Updated: 10 minutes ago

Hamilton bylaw officers volition statesman responding to sound complaints overnight aft 2 years of virtually nary enforcement past 1 a.m. connected weekends.

As of April 1, the officers volition beryllium moving until 4 a.m. each nighttime but Sunday, erstwhile they'll enactment until 12 a.m., and Monday, erstwhile they'll enactment until 4 p.m., said a caller connection update to council.

The reduced hours connected Monday is to accommodate extended hours different days and not person to prosecute much officers, said Ward 2 Coun. Cameron Kroetsch, who posted the update connected X past week. 

Before the change, officers lone worked until 9 p.m. connected weekdays and 1 a.m. weekends and not astatine each connected Sundays.

Getting officers to respond to sound complaints overnight is simply a petition little metropolis residents person been making repeatedly, especially those successful Ward 1, who unrecorded alongside McMaster University students, and successful Ward 2, who unrecorded successful the downtown core. 

 Kroetsch said it was a alteration helium and Ward 1 Coun. Maureen Wilson had been advocating for. 

"[Wilson] and I person been gathering with unit astir this for a while," helium said. "Really gladsome to spot this." 

Police stopped responding to sound complaints successful February 2023, unless there's a menace to nationalist safety, citing staffing pressures. They'd antecedently teamed up with bylaw officers overnight. The metropolis followed suit, scaling backmost bylaw officers hours implicit information concerns. 

Several fed-up residents spoke to CBC Hamilton past twelvemonth astir however they'd made dozens of complaints astir noisy neighbours to the metropolis and police, but got small to nary action. 

Dan Smith, acting manager of licensing and bylaw services, said successful the update to assembly past week the accrued beingness of officers volition "enhance work to the community" and assistance them conscionable "the expanding demands associated with evening ailment investigation." 

Residents tin marque complaints during daytime hours straight to bylaw. Overnight and connected weekends, they tin telephone the lawsuit interaction centre astatine 905-546-2489.