On overcast days and all during the winter, the sky above Kingsville is lit up like it’s daytime from the glow of greenhouse lights.
Frustrated residents say it negatively affects their sleeping patterns and that the unnatural light is hurting wildlife and influencing migratory bird patterns. They took their concerns to council last week and council commissioned a report on the impact of ‘Greenhouse Glow.’
Lights are used at the Del Fresco Produce Ltd. strawberry greenhouse, Monday, February 5, 2018.
“It will wake me up at 5 O’Clock in the morning like it’s daylight outside, but it’s not daylight,” said Melissa Tremaine-Snip, who has seen the glow from as far away as Windsor. “There are tonnes of other folks frustrated with this. If you bring it up, people start talking.”
Kingsville Mayor Nelson Santos agrees the bright lights at night can be a bother if greenhouses looking to maximize productivity don’t invest in measures like light shades.
On clear days, the lights shoot straight up into the sky like “nighttime sun beams” but they light up the sky on overcast or winter nights, he said.
“It looks pretty bright out. It’s unusually light at 2 or 3 in the morning,” he said. “You don’t need to turn on your outdoor lights to walk around.”
It will wake me up at 5 O’Clock in the morning like it’s daylight outside, but it’s not daylight
The town added wording to site planning legislation several years ago requiring new developments to be mindful of nuisance lighting at night, but those restrictions only apply to new developments, not existing ones.
Tremaine-Snip and other residents took the issue to council because they want to ensure there are bylaws in place that govern lights at night, similar to noise bylaws.
“We are not anti-greenhouse, we’re anti-greenhouse glow,” said Tremaine-Snip. “There are solutions out there. There are blackout blinds and there are some areas where they say no lights from dusk until 2 a.m.”
The report is due back to council within 90 days and Santos said he is hopeful council can address the problem in a formal way.
“It’s not something we’re taking lightly,” he said. “We’re looking forward to the report coming back so we can get some answers and address the residents’ concerns.”