Image: Tara Clow
After numerous revisions and public input, the Boulevard Garden draft By-law is returning to city council.
Council will hear the adjustments at Monday night’s Committee of the Whole meeting.
A first report on the by-law was heard by council in September.
The Boulevard Garden and Maintenance By-law will allow home and property owners to use the boulevard area for a variety of plants.
This by-law was initially requested by the community and acted upon by administration.
After receiving feedback the following notable changes were made:
- Raising the maximum height limit of a boulevard garden to 1 metre
- Allowing the planting of native and naturalized plants in setback areas to a maximum height of 60 cm
- Permitting garden boxes on boulevards, with some exceptions
- Eliminating the need for “at own risk” signage when planting edible plants
- Changing from a registration system to a Garden Acknowledgement Declaration
“This is a great step to help improve and protect biodiversity in Thunder Bay, by allowing more than turfgrass on a boulevard,” said Thunder Bay Climate Action Specialist, Danielle Thom. “We incorporated feedback into this revised by-law, adapting it to include 11 recommendations from stakeholders and three recommendations from Council.”
If approved, the by-law will allow for boulevard gardens to legally be planted in spring 2025.
A public education campaign on how to safely dig in the boulevard, prioritizing native plant species, and limiting the use of pesticides will be launched in the spring.
