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Consultation has concluded
The public survey is now closed. Thank you to everyone who provided input.
Introduction: The municipality is undertaking a public consultation about voluntary lawn and garden naturalization on private property. The consultation objectives include:
Identify any potential concerns prior to presenting a final report to Council
Identify parts of the existing by-law that are overly restrictive
Gauge public support for potential improvements to the by-law (such as allowing naturalized lawns and lawn alternatives)
What is naturalization? Naturalization involves transforming a cultivated landscape, such as a lawn, into a more natural landscape. Natural landscapes feature native plants arranged to mimic naturally occurring habitat and provide myriad benefits to wildlife and pollinators.
Background: On May 10, 2022, Council approved recommendations from the Environmental Advisory Committee (EAC) that staff conduct public consultation on lawn naturalization. As an initial step, staff sought input from the EAC and the Natural Cover Working Group on possible content for the update. Staff also reviewed similar by-law updates in other municipalities (Kingston, Toronto, London, others) to help further craft updates to the by-law.
Recent court decisions have overturned prosecutions under municipal grass and weed by-laws due to their restrictive nature providing additional rationale for an update of our by-law.
Research also indicated that lawn alternatives can be more sustainable and provide a greater ecological benefit to native wildlife.
The public survey is now closed. Thank you to everyone who provided input.
Introduction: The municipality is undertaking a public consultation about voluntary lawn and garden naturalization on private property. The consultation objectives include:
Identify any potential concerns prior to presenting a final report to Council
Identify parts of the existing by-law that are overly restrictive
Gauge public support for potential improvements to the by-law (such as allowing naturalized lawns and lawn alternatives)
What is naturalization? Naturalization involves transforming a cultivated landscape, such as a lawn, into a more natural landscape. Natural landscapes feature native plants arranged to mimic naturally occurring habitat and provide myriad benefits to wildlife and pollinators.
Background: On May 10, 2022, Council approved recommendations from the Environmental Advisory Committee (EAC) that staff conduct public consultation on lawn naturalization. As an initial step, staff sought input from the EAC and the Natural Cover Working Group on possible content for the update. Staff also reviewed similar by-law updates in other municipalities (Kingston, Toronto, London, others) to help further craft updates to the by-law.
Recent court decisions have overturned prosecutions under municipal grass and weed by-laws due to their restrictive nature providing additional rationale for an update of our by-law.
Research also indicated that lawn alternatives can be more sustainable and provide a greater ecological benefit to native wildlife.
