BRUCEDALE – Guelph/Eramosa council approved two noise bylaw exemptions at its July 10 meeting.
One of the exemptions, White said, “is kind of an exciting thing,” as it’s regarding filming for an episode of Murdoch Mysteries.
“A lot of people watch this show,” he added.
Murdoch Mysteries is a CBC period drama set in Toronto in the early 1900s.
It stars Yannick Bisson as William Murdoch, who solves gruesome murders using unusual forensic techniques for the time, such as fingerprints and ultraviolet light.
Filming will take place at the Rockwood Conservation Area on July 20, 21 and 24.
The site will be prepared from July 17 to July 19, and everything will be packed away on July 25 and 26.
Production vehicles and film equipment will be parked at Rockwood Centennial Public School and on both sides of Valley Road between Main Street South and the municipal gate access, in addition to private property.
Noise bylaw exemptions for the filming and preparation have been approved for July 19 at 11pm until July 20 at 4am, July 20 at 11pm until July 21 at 1am, and July 21 at 11pm until July 22 at 2am.
Production will include two fires in fire pits.
Wedding exemption sparks bylaw discussion
The second noise bylaw exemption, for a wedding on Aug. 12, sparked a lengthy discussion about the parameters of the regular noise bylaw.
The bylaw prohibits sounds such as loudspeakers and “yelling, shouting, hooting, whistling or singing,” between 11pm and 7am.
Other noises, such as squealing tires or racing motorized vehicles are prohibited at all times of day.
The applicants requested an exemption from 3pm until 1am, and White expressed hesitancy about the start time.
“You’ve got to follow what the day-to-day rules are,” he said – exemptions generally extend the daytime rules.
Council discussed ambiguity, and clerk Amanda Knight noted “this bylaw is extremely outdated and clerks of Wellington County are looking at doing a comprehensive overview of this bylaw right now.”
Guelph/Eramosa township will also be conducting an internal review of the bylaw later this year.
“Maybe there’s another level in between [daytime and nighttime rules] that we can build into a bylaw moving forward,” White suggested.
“At the county’s discretion though, because it’s county wide,” he added.
Details about the noise bylaw can be found on the Guelph/Eramosa website.
