Cambridge council asks staff to revise proposed noise bylaw
Posted May 14, 2026 03:21:41 PM.
Last Updated May 14, 2026 03:37:00 PM.
It didn’t take long for Cambridge City Council to realize they had more to discuss than time would allow.
At its regular meeting on Tuesday, council was presented with the latest version of a proposed noise bylaw, something that’s been in the works for two years.
Time was tight Tuesday evening. The council meeting was scheduled for 6:30 but at 7:30 the Planning – Statutory Public Meeting was set to begin.
Councillors had plenty of questions about the proposed bylaw, specifically when it came to issues like aftermarket car exhausts, fireworks and special events.
Cambridge Ward 6 Councillor, Corey Kimpson stopped by The Mike Farwell Show where she said there were also a bunch of questions about bylaw enforcement.
“Even with a tight and specific municipal bylaw in place, city bylaw officers are only able to enforce a vehicle when it’s not moving. Once the vehicle is moving, it then needs to be enforced by the police.”
Kimpson said it’s details like how bylaw coordinates with Waterloo Regional Police, that is gumming up the works when it comes to getting a new noise bylaw in place.
When it was realized that there was no way to have staff answer all of council’s questions, Rob Axiak stepped in.
“Our City Manager made the suggestion that perhaps we have a workshop which allows council to come together, and it’s broadcast, it’s an open process, but it allows us to come together and ask all of these questions of staff and have all these questions answered in detail,” described Kimpson.
Kimpson pointed out that even though the workshop can be viewed by the public either in person or virtually, they can’t delegate.
The intention is to get all the information out in the open.
Kimpson said, this bylaw is very complex with many moving parts. So, there’s lots to consider.
“I think the combination of the fireworks, the significant events, we’ve got vehicle noise, we have people as well as we’re looking at increasing the density in our core areas, we have people living closer together. So, it certainly makes sense that we would be reviewing and revising the noise bylaw”
Council voted unanimously to send the bylaw back to staff to be re-jigged ahead of the workshop. No date has been set.
