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

Hamilton bylaw officers will begin responding to noise complaints overnight after two years of virtually no enforcement past 1 a.m. on weekends.

As of April 1, the officers will be working until 4 a.m. every night except Sunday, when they'll work until 12 a.m., and Monday, when they'll work until 4 p.m., said a recent communication update to council.

The reduced hours on Monday is to accommodate extended hours other days and not have to hire more officers, said Ward 2 Coun. Cameron Kroetsch, who posted the update on X last week. 

Before the change, officers only worked until 9 p.m. on weekdays and 1 a.m. weekends and not at all on Sundays.

Getting officers to respond to noise complaints overnight is a request lower city residents have been making repeatedly, especially those in Ward 1, who live alongside McMaster University students, and in Ward 2, who live in the downtown core. 

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

"[Wilson] and I have been meeting with staff about this for a while," he said. "Really glad to see this." 

Police stopped responding to noise complaints in February 2023, unless there's a threat to public safety, citing staffing pressures. They'd previously teamed up with bylaw officers overnight. The city followed suit, scaling back bylaw officers hours over safety concerns. 

Several fed-up residents spoke to CBC Hamilton last year about how they'd made dozens of complaints about noisy neighbours to the city and police, but got little to no action. 

Dan Smith, acting director of licensing and bylaw services, said in the update to council last week the increased presence of officers will "enhance service to the community" and help them meet "the increasing demands associated with evening complaint investigation." 

Residents can make complaints during daytime hours directly to bylaw. Overnight and on weekends, they can call the customer contact centre at 905-546-2489.