Some YK residents concerned about nuisance noise from parkade

It’s been described as the “downtown screech” and a “high-pitched squeal.” If you’ve walked past the Centre Square Mall parkade in Yellowknife recently, you’ve probably heard it.

Several residents have complained the whining sound emanating from the entrance of the parkade on 51 Avenue is a nuisance day and night, as first reported by CBC in December.

“It’s an awful, awful noise,” said Michelle Légere who works nearby. “I can hear it almost around that whole block.”

Légere said the noise gives her a headache when she goes outside or runs errands downtown.

“It’s affecting all people who live in Yellowknife and want to interact with downtown,” she said.

Légere and her husband, Joseph Bannon, said they got in touch with Centre Square Mall’s property manager to inquire about the noise. They said they were told it was being made to deter “street people” from the parkade following complaints from tenants.

A representative with property manager Colliers International told Cabin Radio they were not authorized to speak to media but would pass on the request for comment. Cabin Radio has not yet received a response.

“It feels like it’s a little crass,” said Bannon, describing the noise as an “anti-homeless tactic.”

He said it also isn’t helping efforts to revitalize Yellowknife’s downtown.

“It’s not fair for one building owner to decide that they can disturb a whole block of downtown,” Légere added.

Yellowknife’s noise bylaw

Légere and Bannon said they have complained to the city that the noise violates Yellowknife’s noise bylaw. That bylaw prohibits any noise that disturbs the “quiet, peace, rest, enjoyment, comfort or convenience of any person” between the hours of 11pm to 7am.

If convicted of violating the bylaw, individuals can be fined up to $2,000 and corporations up to $10,000, and face up to six months in jail if they don’t pay their fine. In lieu of prosecution, bylaw officers can issue summary offence tickets for violations with a $75 fine for an individual and $150 fine for a corporation.

City spokesperson Abby Schelew said Yellowknife’s municipal enforcement division has contacted the property manager for Centre Square Mall to “raise the issue and seek a resolution.”

Bannon said he would like to see the bylaw updated to prevent the noise from impacting residents during the day. He said he’d also like to see more supports for people experiencing homelessness in Yellowknife.

“There’s a lot of things that we’re doing where it’s just sort of trying to ignore or push the problem somewhere else,” he said.

Centre Square Mall houses Yellowknife’s library and visitor centre, as well as workplace offices and condo units. The parkade is located near several businesses including restaurants, a convenience store and the liquor store.

Several nearby businesses either declined to speak with Cabin Radio, did not respond to request for comment or said they were unaware of the noise.

John Williston, who owns the building that houses Subway and Korea House across from the parkade entrance, said he hasn’t been bothered by the noise. He said since it started he has noticed fewer people congregating in the area.

Williston said crowds gathering and leaving litter behind has been a long-standing issue.

“It’s just a terrible place downtown that gets ignored,” he said.

“I’ve had that building for over 20 years and it gets progressively worse and worse.”

Larger discussion needed, councillors say

City councillor Rob Warburton said there are currently no municipal or territorial laws to address those concerns such as a trespass act, security services act or loitering bylaw, like in other jurisdictions. Hay River, for example, passed a public behaviour bylaw in October, modelled after similar legislation in Inuvik, to address issues like loitering, spitting, littering and fighting.

“We don’t have the foundational, basic kind-of rules and regulations around use of public spaces,” Warburton said.

He said the lack of legal tools offloads public safety issues onto businesses who can face “immense” security costs.

“We’ve essentially left business owners here on their own and building owners on their own to figure it out,” he said.

“I’m not agreeing or disagreeing with what they’re doing. I’m just saying when you leave somebody hanging, they’ll start trying anything to solve a problem.”

Warburton said public safety issues warrant a larger community discussion. He noted the city has heard from residents who say they feel unsafe downtown and have complained of issues like spitting and yelling.

A middle ground

Councillors Ben Hendriksen and Tom McLennan agreed that a larger discussion is needed. They said they understand the perspective of residents who are bothered by the noise as well as property owners who are concerned about issues like safety, loitering and trespassing.

“There has to be a middle ground that can be found,” Hendriksen said.

“How do you respect a property owner’s right to have their property and to manage their property, all of that, with the fact of having a downtown core that isn’t impeded by a screeching noise that is heard well beyond the property line itself? For me, that’s sort of the thing that we need to tease out.”

McLennan said he would like to see solutions that address underlying issues such as housing, addictions and generational trauma. He said that could include expanding street outreach, addictions treatment and flexible housing options.

“We need to find more creative ways to address those issues,” he said.

“I’d like to see all levels of government doing more to bring services to vulnerable populations and providing more wraparound supports.”

McLennan encouraged residents to share their opinions with council.

Councillors are headed into budget deliberations. The 2024 draft budget currently includes $100,000 to fund a consultant to review and provide an operating model recommendation for the Yellowknife Women’s Society’s Street Outreach Program and draft a multi-year funding proposal to be presented to the federal and territorial governments.

Other cities in Canada have also grappled with the use of devices that emit high-pitched noises to deter people from gathering.

Following complaints in 2020, the City of Winnipeg stopped using sound-emitting devices intended to discourage people from setting up camps under bridges and vehicle overpasses, as reported by CBC.

The use of noise deterrents have also been reported in Oshawa and North Bay in Ontario, and Vancouver.