MODEL BY-LAW

TORONTO MUNICIPAL CODE CHAPTER 489, LANDSCAPE STANDARDS

This model by-law is a revised version of the City of Toronto’s Municipal Code, Chapter 489, Grass and Weeds. The current Grass and Weeds By-law as presented by the City of Toronto limits property owners’ and occupants’ rights to express environmental and cultural beliefs through the planting of natural landscapes that differ from the traditional-style lawn. This model by-law presents revisions to the City of Toronto’s Municipal Code, Chapter 489, Grass and Weeds, in regard to eliminating the height restriction on plants, removing the need for a Natural Garden Exemption, strengthening enforcement, and regulating plant species, with the intent to support environmental stewardship.

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BYLAWS FOR BIODIVERSITY:

The glorification of the manicured lawn is a result of a colonial history of English landscape practices that were adopted in North America. As climate science and evidence of biodiversity loss are now at the forefront of public policy, environmentalists and ecologists are questioning the value... Read more