The sounds of children laughing and playing outside are part of the sounds of summer, but the backyard noises from one Calgary family have drawn the ire of their neighbours.
Karen Lloyd encourages her kids to play outside their Willow Park home as much as possible. So her four kids, who range in age from six to 13, are often in the yard with friends using the swing set, slide, or backyard trampoline.
The family has lived in the home for nearly five years but says about three summers ago, neighbours began to complain about the backyard noise. One neighbour got angry and yelled at all of them, says Lloyd’s 13-year-old daughter, Sarah.
“When our neighbours yelled at us, that was scary because we were like, ‘Whoa.’”
Lloyd has tried to tell her kids to play more quietly, but admits it’s difficult to do.
“For three months now, I’ve been restricting the noise of the children even in the backyard and telling them they need to use a quieter voice, the kind of voice you would call an indoor voice,” she said.
Lloyd has tried to reason with the neighbours but says the complaints continue.
One neighbour, Lynn Hawker, says the noise from the Lloyd’s yard has left her unable to enjoy time in her own backyard.
“It’s not the kids playing; I have no issue with that. It’s the kids screaming and yelling at the top of their lungs every day, all the time,” she says.
According to the City of Calgary, residents have the right not to be disturbed by noise including: yelling, loud music, power tools and air conditioners.
The city has noise restrictions, but they come into effect after 10 p.m. most days of the week. During the day, there can't be continuous noise exceeding 65 decibels.
Kids playing at a splash pad measure would measure around that mark, while a revving motorcycle measures 102 decibels.
The sounds of kids playing outside aren’t usually loud enough to be a violation of the bylaw, says Brandon Bobier with the City of Calgary bylaws services department.
“We encourage kids to be out and about and playing. The bylaws aren't there to stop them from playing, shouting, passing pucks, banging sticks. It’s normal play; it’s expected during those daytime hours,” he told CTV Calgary.
Lloyd even asked the city to measure the noise in her yard but was told there's no need, since noisy play isn't usually loud enough to be a violation.
Lloyd sent a note to her neighbours explaining the city’s bylaws and why she wants her kids to keep playing outside.
“I conveyed that message as nicely as I could,” she said. “I delivered the note with what the bylaw officer had said and a plate of cookies. The cookies were returned and the note was scribbled on saying ‘You’re not respecting other people and your children need to be quieter’.”
Lloyd says she wants other families to know they’re within their rights to have their children play outside.
“This is not about me and my neighbours,” said Lloyd. “This is about the families in the city of Calgary. So many families are finding it difficult to have people respect the rights of their children to play outside.”
With a report from CTV Calgary’s Ina Sidhu
