By Cecilia Nasmith/Today’s Northumberland
The welcome weather of spring seems to bring door-to-door solicitors along with the lilacs, and Councillor Miriam Mutton brought up the matter at Wednesday’s Cobourg council meeting.
Mutton is hearing from a lot of people about this, and wanted confirmation of her understanding that a license is required to conduct door-to-door business.
This is correct, Municipal Clerk Brent Larmer confirmed, and it’s called an Itinerant Vendor license.
These are posted on the municipal website, but the listing will be fine-tuned in the coming days.
For example, Cogeco has a door-to-door campaign just now, but it’s licensed under Yes Acquisitions Inc. – a marketing firm they hired to go door to door for them. The site will be updated to reflect this kind of information, along with brief descriptions of the commerce being carried on.
“And if somebody comes to your door, you don’t have to open it, of course,” Larmer noted.
You can also ask to see the license, or ask the person to come back another time in order to do some research.”
Another door-to-door initiative that will be going on that was shared by Chief Administrative Officer Tracey Vaughan, this one organized by the town’s Fire Department.
“Fire trucks will be going door to door checking smoke and carbon-dioxide alarms in homes so, if they come to your front door with a truck, they really are Cobourg firefighters, so please do allow them access,” Vaughan said.
“It’s about your safety at home and ensuring everybody does have operating alarms.”