The suggestion that youth could be forced to have a business licence to cut lawns and babysit or that buskers would be required to register to perform downtown just doesn't sit well with town councillor Morgan Nagel.

Discussions on the proposed major revisions to the town business licence bylaw saw him take a stand against what he believes are overbearing government regulations that aren't even necessarily enforceable.

At Monday's council meeting, Nagel gave notice of a motion to direct administration to present options on how the Town of Cochrane could exempt small-scale, cash-based businesses from the business licence bylaw.

Nagel says he was caught off guard when it was explained youth cutting lawns, shovelling snow or babysitting could be required to have a business licence or potentially face a fine.

"To me, there's something wrong with that picture," says Nagel. "If kids want to be running these small cash operations, learn how to work, help their neighbours, I think this is something we shouldn't have the Town of Cochrane involved in."

Taking it a step further, he says his stance (shared by some other councillors) against licencing buskers in the proposed new business licence bylaw reinforces the same thinking. He believes there are already laws in place for people being disorderly or intoxicated in public and a registration to further control people isn't necessary.

"Frankly, I don't even think buskers are going to register with the town. I also think it's important that we follow a process of only creating bylaws, rules and procedures for things that we intend to enforce. That's why I've always had a problem with some of our bylaws that are unenforceable."

Cochrane isn't overwhelmed with street performers, like in Calgary and Edmonton, and until that time he says it isn't even worth worrying about.

"I don't want street musicians being kicked off the street. That's not what Cochrane's all about."

It's not just locally he's worried about over-regulation; it's nationwide.

"I feel at all levels of government there's this creeping communism where we keep on regulating and regulating and regulating and at some point, it's got to end. With these small symbolic things, I think it is important to stand up and say, 'Hey, we don't need to tax and regulate absolutely everything'."