Osgoode residents may have had a noisier past two years than other Ottawans.

Ward 20 saw a 54 per cent increase in noise complaints between 2013 and 2015, according to an analysis of City of Ottawa 311 data.

Fred Fenn, who lives in Osgoode, said he’s noticed. This summer he called 311 to complain about a neighbour playing loud music outside past midnight.

“My daughter was saying she could hear the music like it was being played in her bedroom clear as day,” he said.

Fenn said he thinks Osgoode is noisier than other parts of the city.

“We’ve been out here in Osgoode since 1994. Before that I grew up in Orleans. My wife grew up in Kanata, so they were pretty quiet areas. It was never as noisy as out here.”

Photo provided by Fred Fenn

Kanata North and Rideau-Goulbourn noise complaints increased by around 40 per cent during the same time period. Most other wards saw a decrease in the number of complaints received.

The Community and Protective Services Committee oversees bylaw enforcement.

Rick Chiarelli, a councillor for the City of Ottawa’s college ward and a member of the committee said residents should talk to their neighbours before contacting bylaw.

“The happiest outcomes, come from neighbours talking to each other. And Osgoode used to always do that,” he said.

Noise complaints are one of the top three most common service requests, according to the City of Ottawa website.

“I think that’s bad for community development but it’s also expensive because it costs us hundreds of dollars to deal with each noise complaint,” Chiarelli said.

Fenn said he didn’t want to approach his neighbors because they were drinking.

“They were all drinking so I didn’t bother going over there and saying anything to them because usually that doesn’t end well,” he said.

Noise bylaw prohibits loud music after 11 p.m.

Bylaw officers only respond to calls until 2 a.m. during the week and 4 a.m. on weekends.

Chiarelli said the City should look at providing 24/7 bylaw services on weekends.

“There are parties that go until four or five in the morning and if you close up at four, basically complaints after three are not dealt with,” he said.

Fenn said partiers are not the only problem. ATVs, dirt bikes and other loud vehicles are more common in Osgoode than in others areas of Ottawa, he said.

“It’s traditional out in the country people have more motorized toys than in the city, because there’s no place really to run them,” he said.

“This year there seems to be a lot more, I’m not sure if people are getting more money and buying more dirt bikes or what it is this year but it seems to be a little bit noisier this year.”