12 greenhouse owners in Leamington facing 88 charges for bylaw offences

Greenhouse lights in Essex County on Oct. 23, 2020. (Chris Campbell/CTV News Windsor)

The Municipality of Leamington says 12 greenhouse owners are facing 88 charges related to the Greenhouse Light Abatement By-law.

After an investigation, the municipality the charges under Part III of the Provincial Offences Act.

Leamington Council passed the Bylaw 41-22 at its meeting held June 14, 2022.

“It is unfortunate that several greenhouse owners continue to be in violation of our bylaw, 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.”

The bylaw requires owners of greenhouses utilizing lights to have installed and keep closed, sidewall and endwall curtains from 5 p.m. to 8 a.m.

Those greenhouse owners who had not already installed curtains on the greenhouse ceiling were required to submit evidence that the owner would be able to install ceiling curtains 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.

The municipality says only two owners submitted evidence related to a planned ceiling curtain installation and no owners submitted a declaration that lights would be shut off and remain off.

Since November 2022, Leamington By-law Enforcement Officers have engaged in a patrol of the municipality for the purpose of gathering evidence of greenhouse owners operating in contravention of the bylaw.

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, investigations will continue and further proceedings are pending.