A day after Kingsville adopted a by-law forcing greenhouse operators to install curtains to preserve the night sky, Leamington is poised to do the same.
Town council will talk about its proposed by-law Tuesday night.
Lights from greenhouses in southern Essex County are so bright they can be seen far up Hwy 401 and even across Lake Erie along the shores of Ohio. For those that live close-by, the lights can disrupt circadian rhythms and disturb sleep.
"We've not been not discussing this," said Mayor Hilda MacDonald. "Since I took over the chair, we have been working on trying to find solutions."
Over the past year-and-a-half, the town's investigation included consultations with the Ontario Greenhouse Vegetable Growers, the Harrow Research Station, and even a trip to the Netherlands to find out how operators there handle it.
"Staff have been working on a by-law that will stand up in a court setting," she explained.
Leamington's by-law, like Kingsville's, will give inspectors the power to fine those operators who do not comply.
"If you put a by-law in with no teeth whatsoever, it just becomes nothing. It's just like brushing the dust off your shoulder," said MacDonald.
At the same time, she does not want to hamper the greenhouse industry.
"We do have to remember the industry if feeding the world, and there are always prices for things like that," she explained. "Particularly in the days of COVID, we recognize the importance of self-sustainability. This may be the source of food going into the future if extreme weather continues."
Kingsville's by-law also tackles the issue of odour emanating from greenhouses, in particular, those that cultivate cannabis. Leamington's will strictly tackle excessive night lighting.
Kingsville Mayor Nelson Santos is pleased Leamington is enacting its by-law since his town's effort would be fruitless if the neighbouring community does not address the issue.
"With as overcast as we've seen in the last couple weeks, the light just gets refracted and spread kilometre, after kilometre, after kilometre," he said. "It's an impact, not just in our backyard, but across our region."
His town's by-law is in effect immediately.