City hopes to silence backup beeping

Early morning construction will still be allowed on Saturdays, but council could ask staff to figure out how to turn down the volume on annoying backup warning beeps on trucks.

Coun. Diane Deans, chair of the community and protective services committee, asked staff on Thursday to look into installing “broadband backup alarms” on appropriate city vehicles. The technology makes sure the safety signals are only heard in a focused area.

Deans said residents are particularly irked by the beeping coming from snow trucks in parking lots.

The committee approved recommended changes to the noise bylaw to deal with throbbing bass music, private garbage collection, car alarms and construction noise levels.

Coun. Tobi Nussbaum wanted additional noise restrictions on construction. He asked the committee to push construction start times on Saturdays to 9 a.m. from 7 a.m.

But the construction industry warned councillors not to make their jobs harder, since a shorter workday on Saturdays would ultimately hurt workers on hourly wages.

Tim Vizena, a director with the Ottawa Construction Association who works at Tomlinson Group, said Saturdays are critical to construction contractors because it’s a makeup day for any delays during the regular work week. Shrinking the construction hours on Saturdays would only increase the length of the project and reduce the working hours of employees, Vizena said.

Councillors voted 4-3 against Nussbaum’s request.

The committee also heard from the local live music and festival industries, which complained that they weren’t properly consulted on the proposed bylaw changes. There is a growing effort to make Ottawa a “music city,” but there are questions about how changes in the noise bylaw, particularly bass restrictions, could stifle the work.

Council will be asked to approve the noise bylaw changes on Wednesday.

NALOXONE ROLLOUT

Ottawa fire Chief Gerry Pingitore said naloxone will be rolled out across the department by the end of June.

Pingitore, who presented the fire department’s annual report to the committee, said 1,500 firefighters are being trained on administering the opioid antidote. Firefighters in the urban areas could have the naloxone kits within a week, he said.

Anthony Di Monte, general manager of emergency and protective services, said the city is tracking the costs of buying naloxone kits and training staff with hopes that the province will provide funding.

Police will also receive training on naloxone, he said.

Delaying the rollout until the costs are sorted out isn’t an option, Di Monte said.

“We’re not waiting. We have to be ready,” Di Monte said.