A woman in the tony Hillcrest area of Toronto has received a notice from the City Council that her garden contravenes the Toronto Municpal Code's rules on grass and weeds.
Nina-Marie Lister is an urban planner and ecologist and her garden is full of milkweed, goldenrod, black-eyed susans, and other mainly indigenous flowers that are like catnip to butterflies, bees and other pollinators. To some of Ms. Lister's neighbours, however, it is just plain scruffy - "a challenge to lawn order", as the Globe article has it - and they have called on the City to issue a notice to the woman, on the grounds that the city Code calls on householders to "cut the grass and weeds on their land" when they grow above 20cm.
Ms. Lister, however, argues that her garden is full of flowers, not weeds, a label which is not actually defined anywhere, but essentially refers to plants that grow up unintentionally (or, as Ms. Lister says, "plants that someone doesn't like"). Her plants are most definitely not unintentional, and Ms. Lister is willing to take the issue to court. A couple of previous similar court cases have both resulted in vindication for the creative, environmentally-conscious gardeners, so it seems likely that Ms Lister's will go well too, particularly given than the City of Toronto is also in the business of offering $5,000 grants for pollinator gardens.
Maybe time to update the City's Municipal Code?
On a related matter, a homeowner in Windsor, Ontario, was told recently that he needs to cut down his beloved sunflowers on the grounds that they are too tall and obsctruct sightlines for commuters, traffic and safe access to city property, all of which sounds slightly ridiculous. Mr. Allossery has filled his tiny front garden with giant sunflowers, which he and his 5-year old daughter love. He sounds remarkably equanimous in the face of the demands, and says he plans to package up sunflower seeds and offer them to as many neighbours as possible, "to share the love", as he says.
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