Penticton council shakes up regulations with new blasting bylaw

PENTICTON – Rock removal at a construction site in the city last summer led to a flood of calls asking about blasting regulations, of which the city actually had none.

With no city regulations in place, the rules around blasting activities fell under WorkSafe B.C. legislation but staff have since researched the situation and have developed a blasting control bylaw, which was presented at Monday night’s council meeting on Jan. 18.

Staff put together the bylaw after researching other municipalities bylaws and questioning contractors involved in the blasting industry.

Under the bylaw, it will cost property owners $250 if they wish to use explosives to carve their piece of Penticton paradise out of solid rock. That’s the cost of a blasting permit under the new bylaw.

In addition, the property owner must indemnify and defend the city against any legal claims arising from blasting activities on their property. Blasting operations must be posted and neighbours notified of blasting activity.

Pre- and post-blast inspections of buildings within 100 metres of the edge of the blast will be undertaken by an engineer and any damage to neighbouring buildings resulting from the blast must be repaired by the property owner performing the blasting.

Blasting activities will be restricted to between 8 a.m. and 8 p.m. Monday to Saturday, with violation penalties upon conviction reaching up to $2,000 or six months’ imprisonment.

Councillors easily agreed to the new bylaw and passed it unanimously.

To contact a reporter for this story, email Steve Arstad at sarstad@infonews.ca or call 250-488-3065. To contact the editor, email mjones@infonews.ca or call 250-718-2724.