Aurora council talks door-to-door sales ban

Yorkregion.com
Nov. 12, 2015
By Teresa Latchford

Door-to-door sales companies may have a new set of rules to contend with in Aurora.

In October, the town sent out a warning after receiving complaints from residents about a door-to-door water treatment sales companies calling and canvassing local neighbourhoods.

According to comments received by the town, the individuals claimed they worked for the municipality, were water-meter readers and told residents they needed to conduct a mandatory in-house water test.

The release issued by the town reminded residents it does not sell or endorse water treatment equipment for residents using the municipal water service and that the safety and quality of the local water supply meets or exceeds the requirements under the Ontario drinking water regulations set by the province.

Spurred by the recent complaints, constituent reports and his own experiences, Aurora Councillor Tom Mrakas asked for council support to have town staff report back on rules, regulations for outright banning the practice.

“As a council, we have a responsibility to look out for our community, especially for those who are most vulnerable,” Mrakas said. “There are a lot of hard-working businesses that use this sales method, but we just want to make sure the wrong people aren’t doing it.”

If Aurora were to implement methods to control door-to-door sales in town, it wouldn’t be the first community in Canada to do so.

Beaconsfield, Que. has rules regulating the distribution of promotional materials and requires door-to-door sales professionals to obtain a permit for the price of $30 per year. Ignoring the bylaw comes with a $300 fine.

Two BC communities, Port Coquitlam and Parksville have outright banned door-to-door sales.

While Mrakas tabled the motion, he wants to leave it up to town staff to research and recommend the best course of action. He suggested town staff report back at a later date with a draft by law for council to discuss.

Fellow councillors stated they would feel more comfortable with a report rather than a draft bylaw since it would provide council with an opportunity to give staff more direction before a bylaw is produced.

Council unanimously supported a report coming back to council for consideration in the near future.