Pollinator-friendly Gardens

 

Is your garden at risk from the City of Waterloo Lot Maintenance Bylaw?

 

If you have native or pollinator gardens and live in the City of Waterloo, a recently passed amendment to the Lot Maintenance Bylaw enables a complainant to get the city to come onto your property and clear-cut any of your gardens located within a 1 meter strip inside the property line anywhere on your lot.

 

If you have a conventional garden anywhere along your property line it may still be at risk. The definition of a "naturalized area" in this bylaw amendment is so broad that if you get behind on your garden maintenance and/or it is informally laid out, then your conventional garden can arbitrarily be classed as a "naturalized area". It has already been used this way.

 

This new bylaw amendment was theoretically intended to encourage native and pollinator gardens, but has unfortunately created a new tool to attack them with.

 

If you find this concerning, contact your councillor and let them know. Find your councillor and how to contact them  at: https://www.waterloo.ca/en/government/city-council.aspx

 

Some questions you might ask:

1. Did you read this bylaw amendment and feel that you understood it before it was passed?
2. Many people locate their gardens along the fence line in their side and back yards. Existing bylaws already take care of any sight-line and encroachment problems. How does this new way to attack native and pollinator gardens by requiring an unnecessary 1 meter buffer strip, fit with the city's Bee City resolution to "support bees and other pollinators on both public and private land"? (Emphasis added because the city exempts itself from having to obey this property maintenance bylaw.)
3. Will you work to get this new buffer strip requirement removed from the lot maintenance bylaw?

 

The amended lot maintenance bylaw can be found at : https://www.waterloo.ca/en/government/resources/Documents/By-law/Lot-Maintenance-Bylaw.pdf

The staff report introducing the bylaw amendment can be found on page 80 of: https://events.waterloo.ca/meetings/Detail/2022-04-25-1400-Council-Meeting/1b102ae3-14a2-423a-b977-ae77013baf11

     The above information is intended for local readers and will be of little interest to people residing outside our area; no comments are required. In fact as soon as I can figure out how to turn off comments for a single post I will do so!