A noisy neighbour story ripples through a Richmond Hill community

The article has drawn plenty of responses from across York Region, each with a similar story to tell.

Yorkregion.com
December 17, 2018
Sheila Wang

It can be one agonizing journey when you are dealing with a seemingly unsolvable problem alone.

I could feel Polly Chow's despair when she spilled out about her ordeal fighting for a solution to end the loud noise from her next-door neighbours. Her deep sighs and long silence from the other end of the phone are still fresh in my mind.

Chow, a Richmond Hill resident, said she had exhausted all resources to put an end to the pounding noises plaguing her entire family for months and nothing had worked.

“I’m just trying to live a peaceful life in my house. Why am I being forced to leave my house?" Chow asked.

If a seven-inch soundproof wall was not enough to block the noise, and the Town of Richmond Hill took little action, what else can one do, I thought to myself.

Hanging up the phone, I sighed. At that time, it seemed there was no way out, and her family was alone.

I know noises may sound like an insignificant issue for many people who are fortunate enough to have never had to deal with it. Chow’s story just showed how constant loud noise could have really turned a family upside down.

Dwelling on the story for days --researching, emailing with Chow, contacting the bylaw department, and consulting with police --I filed the nearly 900-word article on Oct. 15.

As soon as the article came out, I realized Chow was not alone at all. The scope of this problem is unexpectedly larger than I thought.

Many responses from across York Region --emails and online comments --followed almost immediately, each with a similar story to tell. Many asked me to help connect with Chow to share their experiences and work together toward a resolution.

A few weeks later, Chow sent me a thank-you letter, saying it was nice to share the emotional roller-coaster that each of them has experienced.

It became very clear that the noise issue has been reported recently in Richmond Hill, but unfortunately it has never garnered enough attention to lead to any constructive changes.

My weeklong research found that the existing noise bylaw was last updated in January 1995 where the language is vague in terms of what kind of noise is not permitted, and what kind of action the town can take. It was not even clear whether the town regulated sounds transferred between units at all.

I was later told the bylaw did apply to noise internal to a dwelling, but Chow was told the opposite when she first contacted the bylaw department.

The bylaw is in need of updating, Richmond Hill chief administrative officer Neil Garbe told me.

“There are no municipalities that have a really good approach to it, but we are looking and learning,” he said.

It is hard to imagine applying a 23-year-old noise bylaw to a present-day problem.

After emailing back and forth with the town, I received a final response on Oct. 12 from the town’s spokesperson who states the noise bylaw is currently under internal review, and an update is expected in 2019. This may not directly help Chow’s family. But for the future, an updated noise bylaw would be able to prevent problems like Chow’s.

People nowadays live much closer to each other than before as higher-density housing such as townhouses, condominiums and apartments have been and will be planned across the town. It makes noises easier to be transferred among homes.

An updated noise bylaw --regulating audio noise by decibels --will help town staff to determine an appropriate volume level.