Should By-Law Officers Have All That Power?

Did you know that while a police officer must have a warrant to enter your home, a by-law officer can come by any time without so much as a hello? No notice to the landowner is required, no warrant needed. Apart from a requirement that the officer present “proper identification” upon request, there are no hoops to jump through whatsoever. By-law might argue that it’s because by-law offenses are minor — typically resulting in nothing more than a fine — that power of entry is warranted. But this reasoning is precisely backward.