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Survey results showing the majority of Calgarians aren’t concerned about issues such as fire pits and noise haven’t stopped a proposal for strict new rules and higher penalties from reaching city council, under a review of the Community Standards Bylaw.

The proposed changes, including mandatory spark guards for backyard fire pits and strict bass limits for outdoor music festivals, come in spite of a survey showing only 22 per cent of Calgarians consider fire pits to be a “very/somewhat significant issue,” and only 39 per cent feel that way about neighbourhood noise.

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“The vast majority of people are getting along just fine, but there’s a minority who cause problems,” said Coun. Evan Woolley, vice-chair of the city’s Community and Protective Services committee.

“We need the tools to deal with those crappy neighbours, and these changes will tweak the bylaw to make that possible.”

The same telephone survey of 501 Calgarians, conducted between October and December 2015 by Nielsen Consumer Insights, shows 45 per cent of respondents deemed general upkeep of properties is very/somewhat significant, 34 per cent felt the same about weeds and long grass, and 34 per cent expressed that level of concern about graffiti.