The Municipality of Chatham-Kent is continuing to work toward managing greenhouse light pollution in the area.
On Monday night, council will vote on whether or not to extend a temporary by-law that restricts largescale greenhouses from being developed in close proximity to urban areas in Chatham-Kent.
The by-law was initially approved council on May 10, 2021, in hopes of taking a proactive approach to controlling glowing lights from greenhouses in the night sky.
According to the report that went to council in 2021, greenhouse development in Chatham-Kent has seen a significant boom over the past decade. In 2011, 168 acres of greenhouses existed in the municipality. By 2016, greenhouse development increased by 76 per cent over 2011 to 297 acres.
With the by-law set to expire on Tuesday, municipal staff is now recommending that it be extended for another year, until May 10, 2023.
"Based on the direction of May 10, 2021, it continues to be necessary to provide the municipality with time to undertake further study of future greenhouse development," read the report. "There are a number of regional utility projects underway that will affect future opportunities for greenhouse development in Chatham-Kent."
According to the staff, the opportunities that these projects will provide to local development over the long term will influence future land-use planning policies regarding large-scale greenhouse development. The projects include the Enbridge Panhandle Regional Expansion Project, the Hydro One Chatham to Lakeshore and Longwood to Lakeshore Transmission Lines and the Chatham-Kent PUC Wallaceburg Water Treatment Servicing Study.
The report also notes that on Tuesday, draft greenhouse lighting regulations will be presented to the Community Development Advisory Committee. According to the report, the proposed regulations are similar to those implemented in neighbouring Leamington.
"Consistent regulations in the region are beneficial as this issue is cross-jurisdictional and some greenhouse operations have a presence in Chatham-Kent and Leamington," the report stated. "Leamington has a by-law requiring 100 per cent light abatement inside and end walls from one hour before sunset to one hour after sunrise. 100 per cent ceiling abatement for the same time period except between 2 a.m. and 6 a.m. when abatement is required to be 90 per cent."
According to staff, Chatham-Kent currently has two large-scale greenhouses utilizing internal lighting. One facility is constructed and is operating voluntarily to these proposed lighting standards while one facility has stated plans to retrofit the facility in order to provide for lighting abatement.
"A new by-law would consider a timeframe for this facility to achieve compliance should regulations be adopted," the report stated. "It is anticipated that council will be presented a by-law for consideration at a meeting in June or July.