Kingsville town councillors will talk Monday night about adopting a new bylaw to control light and odour pollution from greenhouses.
Provisions of the new Nuisance By-law deal address noxious smells from cannabis grow operations and excess light that has created a purple or even green glow over the town. It also gives inspectors the authority to fine greenhouse operators.
Concerns about light pollution have been coming to council since 2018.
In February, two officials from the Royal Astronomical Society of Canada, Bill Jamieson and Mahayarrahh-Starr, urged councillors to take action to protect human health. The pair argued the blue-rich white light disrupted human circadian rhythms.
Since an increase in hydro capacity in 2016 allowed growers to artificially light their crops 24 hours of the day, the town has addressed resident concerns by amending its existing bylaws. However, the changes do not apply to operations designated cannabis growers and other operations that are not bound by a site plan. Other operations are simply not complying.
Last year, council approved an investigation to find out which greenhouses were complying and which were not.
Out of 85 property owners, repeat inspections have found there are eight repeat violators concerning light pollution.
The new bylaw would force all greenhouse operations to comply, but it comes at a price.
A report delivered to councillors said effective enforcement will mean inspections outside of normal work hours in a department that already finds its workload "overwhelming". The town will have to increase the budget to account for overtime and hire another part-time temporary inspector.
Overtime could cost the town another $10,000, while the department suggests council put aside no less than an additional $25,000 for enforcement initiatives.
Once the violators comply, those expenses are expected to decrease.
Council could decide Monday night whether to enact the bylaw or defer it to allow for public consultation.