Sudbury’s bylaw department overworked, understaffed, report says

A report heading to Greater Sudbury city council found bylaw staff are overwhelmed as complaints have quadrupled in the last decade.

Bylaw officers in Greater Sudbury handle about 1,377 complaints a year, according a report headed to city council next week. That compares to about 652 in comparable municipalities in the province.

To deal with the growing workload, the report said responsibility for parking services will be transferred to another department, while business licensing will be transferred to the economic development department.

The report for the June 9 meeting said the city’s complement of bylaw officers is responsible for such duties as corporate security, animal control and shelters and enforcing more than 40 municipal bylaws.

“In 2020, in response to increasingly complex issues impacting city staff and properties, such as social disorder, trespassing, and homelessness, a specialized role was established to more effectively address these challenges,” the report said.

“The security enforcement officer role was created to support enforcement of bylaws specific to city properties while enhancing safety and security across municipal facilities, including transit, parks, housing and Tom Davies Square.”

Those security officers now make up 12 full-time and 12 part-time bylaw officer staff.

Complaints quadruple while staffing stays flat

The bylaw enforcement side of the department includes nine full-time officers and four part-time workers. Their workload has increased substantially since 2015, largely because the city took over responsibility for animal control from the private sector.

“Annual bylaw services complaint volumes have increased significantly over the past decade, rising from 3,765 (2015) to over 16,000 (2025), with notable spikes during the onboarding of animal control services and COVID-related enforcement,” the report said.

“Overall volumes have continued to trend upward year-over-year, while bylaw staffing levels have not increased.”

Under current staffing, bylaw officers only respond to complaints, rather than initiate inspections or conduct proactive enforcement.

Moving shelters, set fines among solutions proposed

Other municipalities have eight bylaw officers for 100,000 people, while Sudbury has six “with a larger geographical area,” the report said.

“Animal control and shelter services require urgent responses, diverting resources from less critical complaints and are compounded by logistical challenges related to shelter location and transportation,” the report said.

“Seasonal spikes in complaints (e.g., clearing yards, winter parking restrictions, election signs) create backlogs and strain service levels.”

The city’s population is expected to grow to 200,000 from 188,503, and institutions such as the Ministry of Environment and Public Health Sudbury & Districts have reduced or eliminated their responses to some area, increasing the load on city bylaw officers.

One of the ways to deal with the strain is a proposal to move the animal shelter closer to the city, reducing the 1,883 hours that staff spend going to and from the current shelter site.

“This would enhance response times, strengthen community access and engagement, and improve overall animal welfare outcomes,” the report said.

In addition, staff would resort to using set fines more often to enforce property standards bylaws.

The goal would be to “reinforce that fines are intended to deter non-compliance, address repeat offenders more effectively, and promote sustained adherence to community standards,” the report said.

“Moving to set fines for some of the more common types of bylaw enforcement will also reduce the number of hours required to resolve complaints. Staff are currently reviewing options to increase the use of set fines and will return to council with findings and recommendations.”

Read the full report here.