In October, Susan Anderson, manager of Algoma Condo Corporation #13, otherwise known as Condos on Frame on Elliot Lake's Frame Crescent, appealed to Committee of the Whole (COW) to draft an odour bylaw enforceable city-wide in Elliot Lake.
In a letter she explained that no agency or city, provincial or other department has been willing to enforce complaints against residents who produce terrible odours.
At the time, Councillor Tom Turner, himself a resident of Frame Crescent, described at length the problem of the Condo Corp. being unable to deal with people who produce pernicious smells in their residences.
Next Monday night, COW will consider a written response on the odour subject from Elliot Lake's chief building official, Michael Campbell.
"Initial research indicates that there are very few municipalities which address odours within their jurisdiction," he wrote. "Many have a small provision within their Property Standards By-Law which addresses offensive smells but fail to give clear definition of what an offensive odour or smell is.
"When looking to our larger cities/municipalities such as Toronto, odours emanating from a dwelling have not been addressed with a by-law," Campbell went on. "Larger air quality issues are addressed by the Ministry of the Environment and have to meet a certain criterion for the enforcement of the law.
"When dealing with smells and odours, this becomes a very subjective topic. What may be offensive to one person, may not be to the next person. In order to properly enforce a by-law, the city needs to ensure that it is valid in the eyes of the court system.
"Further research into this subject will be required as there has not been a clear standard yet when enforcing this type of issue," Campbell concluded.
The odour bylaw issue up for consideration at Elliot Lake COW Monday night at 7 p.m. The meeting will live-streamed on the city's website.