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Residents urge clearer enforcement of downtown noise rules after years of music at TELUS
Summary
Residents near Hampton Court told the Ordinance Review Committee that loud music and bass from TELUS Bar on weekend nights have disrupted sleep for elderly tenants and others; decibel checks were performed but residents say documentation and enforcement remain unclear. Speakers asked the committee to clarify enforcement responsibility among the
Residents of housing near downtown Northampton described ongoing late-night music and bass from TELUS Bar that they say has prevented sleep and produced safety concerns in the adjacent parking lot.
Meg Robbins, a Ward 4 resident and candidate for at-large council, said she has collected accounts from tenants who have experienced loud, persistent bass and late-night disturbances since 2020. Robbins told the committee that a licensing extension allowed music until 2 a.m. and that the property later operated disco nights on weekends. "Between 10 and 2 in the morning... that bass beat just gets into your ears and you can't stand it," Robbins said, describing elderly residents buying white-noise machines or leaving town on weekends to avoid the noise.
Robbins said city staff (she named John Fry) visited at night and checked decibel levels but residents were not given the recorded numbers and were uncertain which office has authority to compel mitigation. She described a situation in which security staff required by license are positioned inside the venue, leaving the parking lot uncontrolled; residents reported fights and disorder after closing hours.
Committee members acknowledged prior work on the noise ordinance and said licensing and enforcement lines can be confusing. Councilor Garrick Perry said he had raised TELUS as an example and that the committee would look further at the issue as downtown activity increases. No formal enforcement action or motions were made at the forum.
Clarifying details: residents reported a licensing extension allowing music until 2 a.m.; an unnamed city staff member performed a midnight decibel check but residents said they lacked access to recorded measurements; residents said security required by license remained inside the venue and did not patrol the parking lot.
