The Municipality of Leamington has issued close to 100 charges related to greenhouse lights at night.
The municipality has announced 88 charges against 12 individual greenhouse owners in Leamington.
In June 2022, Leamington Council passed the current Greenhouse Light Abatement by-law, designed to reduce night time light pollution coming from greenhouse operations.
Under the by-law, owners of greenhouses utilizing lights must install and keep closed, sidewall and endwall curtains between 5 p.m. 8 a.m.
Greenhouse owners who had not already installed curtains on the greenhouse ceiling were required to submit evidence that the owner would be able to do that on or before Oct. 1, 2023.
Alternatively, owners could submit a declaration that the greenhouse lights would be shut off and remain off. The date upon which either of these documents was required to be submitted was Oct. 1, 2022
According to the municipality, only two owners submitted evidence related to a planned ceiling curtain installation. No owners submitted a declaration that lights would be shut off and remain off.
The municipality says the charges reflect numerous contraventions across many calendar days.
The matters are not expected to be heard by the courts for a number of months. In the interim, the municipality says investigations will continue and further proceedings are pending.
"It is unfortunate that several greenhouse owners continue to be in violation of our By-law, particularly those greenhouse owners with whom the Municipality settled previous proceedings," said Mayor Hilda MacDonald. "We are hopeful that in most cases, compliance will be achieved within a reasonable amount of time."