Years of having her home and bedroom bathed in bright yellows and vivid purples on otherwise dark fall nights appear to have come to an end for many Kingsville residents like Brenda Alves.
“I’m just glad council finally acted,” said Alves. Living on the eastern edge of Kingsville, she said her town’s greenhouse sector seems to have responded but that the skies “across the border” in Leamington continue to glow.
Kingsville and Leamington town councils, responding to a flood of citizen complaints, enacted bylaws a year ago targeting the burgeoning local greenhouse sector and its lighting up of the evening skies through the months of the year when days are short and the agricultural goods it grows require a bit of artificial illumination.
Since Bylaw 96-2020 was enacted on Oct. 26 of last year, Kingsville Mayor Nelson Santos said there has been good compliance from the town’s greenhouse growers.
“You can tell the difference - a significant majority of the growers have installed their blinds,” he said, referring to the curtain-like coverings used to trap light inside.
Last week, Kingsville bylaw enforcement, after responding to new complaints and issuing final warnings, handed out its first monetary penalty under its year-old nuisance bylaw, which also covers odor complaints, an issue affecting the fairly young cannabis greenhouse sector. The initial fine is just under $1,000.
Read the complete article at windsorstar.com.