The Township of Pelee Island is moving to make sure properties and lawns on the island are maintained and looking nice.
Council approved a bylaw in 2023, and this week, it began what's being called 'a modest enforcement of lawn maintenance,' according to a post on X by Mayor Cathy Miller.
Miller says most municipalities in Windsor-Essex have yard maintenance bylaws, but it's relatively new for the Township of Pelee, but now they have a way to address any issues or complaints.
She told AM800's The Shift with Patty Handysides that the preference is to work with property owners to get them into compliance.
"We're certainly not a heavy-handed municipality by any means," she says. "Where there's a grievance or compliance can't be achieved, then the township would go in and conduct the maintenance that's required or the yard work that's required."
Miller says Pelee is unique in that they have property owners who are not on the island every day or every week.
"The township is always willing to work with people whether they are simply unable to get to the island or whether they are not able to attend to their property at all. There are a lot of ways to maintain your property when you're not able to get to it. We want people to consider how they might be able to do that," she says.
Miller says both permanent and seasonal residents, along with the business owners, want things to look good.
"We've simply taken the time to do the appropriate steps to create an enforceable bylaw and to have partners in place that can enforce and help us maintain," she says. "I've said it in other instances: the Township of Pelee is far from heavy-handed, but we do have to be able to act, and I'm glad that we are."
Miller says they do consider naturalized areas in the bylaw and have a near 12-inch allowance when it comes to the length of the grass.