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Even a field of weeds has benefits, Orangeville council hears

August 7, 2025   ·   0 Comments

By JAMES MATTHEWS, LOCAL JOURNALISM INTIATIVE REPORTER

Nobody should get a hefty fine for pursuing efforts that benefit the planet.

Orangeville residents shouldn’t have to cover a $350 municipal fine while being mindful of pollinator insects and the delicate ecosystem they support.

Orangeville council made alterations to its property standards rules by way of a standalone Clean Yards Bylaw. Some residents have taken to letting their properties, or at least some of their properties, grow naturally to facilitate the animals and insects that distribute pollen, enabling pollination and the production of fruits.

But the thing is, growing a pollinator-friendly property doesn’t align with the requirements of adhering to established tidy property standards.

Orangeville, along with Mono and other municipalities across Canada, has been named a Bee City community by Bee City Canada. It’s part of a North American movement to support pollinator protection.

Bee City communities support collaboration and establish and maintain healthy pollinator habitats within the municipality or First Nation’s boundaries.

Bee City Canada’s mission is to recognize and support municipalities, Indigenous Communities, campuses, schools, and other organizations that are taking action to protect and promote pollinators.

Bees have been in decline for a number of years because of habitat loss, pesticide use, large-scale agricultural operations, climate change, and the spread of pests and diseases.

The new Clean Yards Bylaw is aimed at better compliance for common complaints such as long grass, refuse on residential properties, and efficient snow removal while allowing the Property Standards Bylaw to focus on critical issues affecting occupant safety and structural matters.

Councillor Tess Prendergast brought forward in March a motion to town council to strengthen pollinator-friendly practices and for staff to develop a Pollinator Protection Plan. It was a means to commit to the Bee City designation.

Through the development of the Pollinator Protection Plan, it was found that the Property Standards Bylaw and the Procurement Policy Bylaw contained items and language that were not conducive to pollinator-friendly practices.

Prendergast said during council’s July 14 meeting that residents with naturalized lawns or native pollinator gardens as lawns would be technically non-compliant under the Clean Yards Bylaw.

It is complaint-based.

She asked if those lawns would be exempt in the interim, provided the pollinator protection plan is approved.

Raylene Martell, the town’s clerk, said enforcement of the property standards requirements takes months.

“The Clean Yards Bylaw does take a little bit less time (but) I will also advise that our bylaw enforcement officers never use ticketing or enforcement as their first measure. It’s always education and discussion.”

Martell said discussions have already taken place between bylaw enforcement officials and municipal sustainability staff on how to amend the property standards to allow pollinator exemptions.

“We would work with an educational approach in the interim,” Martell said.

“Nobody wants a $350 ticket for trying to do the right thing for the planet and I know that all of our policies are catching up with each other,” Prendergast said.

Emily McAuley, the town’s infrastructure services’ senior climate and sustainability specialist, said an educational component is essential to correctly establishing pollinator habitats.

“We don’t just want one pollinator habitat in town,” McAuley said. “We really want to have a pollinator corridor. What that means is we have connectedness through multiple habitats in town.”

Asking residents to include pollinating species on their properties can encourage the spatial distribution of pollinators across the jurisdiction.

“This is the real goal with the municipal pollinator garden,” she said. “It can act as an engagement piece.”

Deputy Mayor Todd Taylor said it was previously mentioned that council isn’t doing enough to adequately care for such wild-grown gardens. But a proposed Pollinator Protection Plan calls for council to earmark $6,000 for a municipal pollinator garden.

“It feels like we shouldn’t be doing this because we’re not looking after it, if that’s truly the truth,” he said.

He suggested maybe the town does not support a community pollinator garden.

Prendergast said such initiatives promote Orangeville as a Bee City.

“Should this council not do this, we’ll find another way,” she said. “This is something that has essentially a nominal cost but a huge payoff with education and community engagement.”

Council voted to set aside money for a community pollinator garden in the 2026 municipal capital and operating budget.

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