City council is looking at prolonging the time, under the noise bylaw, when residents are prohibited from using gas-powered equipment on their lawns or gardens, part of an effort to encourage the uptake of electric alternatives.
London city council is looking at prolonging the time, under the noise bylaw, when residents are prohibited from using gas-powered equipment on their lawns or gardens, part of an effort to encourage the uptake of electric alternatives. Reporter Jack Moulton takes a look at what is being proposed and how it could play out.
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During a meeting of city council’s civic works committee on Wednesday, Coun. Skylar Franke tabled a motion for city staff to amend the noise bylaw by extending the curfew on gas-powered garden tools such as lawn mowers, leaf blowers and weed whackers from the existing 10 p.m. to 7 a.m., to 6 p.m. to 8 a.m.
City staff would bring back the amended bylaw to committee in July, pending the approval of full council, while also allowing for a public input session. Franke and councillors Anna Hopkins and Sam Trosow voted to endorse the move, while Coun. Jerry Pribil voted against. Coun. David Ferreira was absent.
In addition, the city is looking at running an awareness and education campaign for Londoners and landscaping contractors that focuses on more environmentally friendly lawn and garden care practices.
London is considering teaming up with other cities, including Hamilton, Oakville and Ottawa, to apply for funding from the Federation of Canadian Municipalities (FCM) to cover up to half of the costs involved.
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Jay Stanford, the city’s director of climate change, environment and waste management, said steering away from gas-powered equipment will reduce carbon emissions, a goal of the city’s climate emergency plan.
Using carbon emissions data per person from a 2015 U.S. study, a city hall report estimates that based on similar usage, gas-powered equipment could make up roughly one per cent of London’s total carbon emissions. The report also flags the excessive noise, sometimes up to 105 decibels, as harmful and disruptive to people and wildlife.
Banning or phasing out gas-powered equipment has happened or is being studied in several Canadian cities with the aim to replace them with quieter electric versions.
Vancouver passed a motion to phase out gas-powered equipment by this year. Toronto sought to do the same thing last year, but it has since shifted to education and outreach. Ottawa and Mississauga have or are now looking at bringing in battery-powered equipment for their own inventory.
City staff say five per cent of the hand-held lawn and garden tools used by city workers are electric, and the city plans to replace end-of-life gas tools with electric versions. But gas-powered tools still outperform electric ones.
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“It will require larger battery packs, more expense potentially around the (charging) infrastructure … (and) proper fire suppression,” said Drew Freeman, the city’s senior manager of its inventory. “A lot of (the current electric fleet) is used for testing to ensure that we’ve taken into consideration performance, health and safety … (and) ergonomics.”
Freeman said some tools and vehicles may not have a suitable electric replacement, and that will be highlighted in an internal review late this year. The staff report also highlights there aren’t any incentives from the provincial or federal governments to make the change.
Franke applauded both London’s move to team up with other cities for education and outreach funding, and to include more natural lawn and garden maintenance tips. Trosow agreed a curfew of 6 p.m. is something the city should look at, and was supportive of a public participation meeting.
But backlash to the proposed curfew change was swift on social media platforms, even drawing the ire of Mayor Josh Morgan. In a statement on X, formerly Twitter, he said the city has “far more pressing issues to deal with” and he would not support the change at council.
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“The message I’ve heard most often from Londoners is one I agree with wholeheartedly: ‘Get off my lawn,’” he wrote.
Former city councillor Cheryl Miller also weighed in, saying “this degree of interference from council could be the straw that breaks seniors’ backs.”
Many comments said people who work day jobs wouldn’t be able to comply, and that many people mow their lawn in the early evening to beat the summer heat.
Council will weigh in on the issue at its next meeting on June 4.
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