Short Story
Naturalized gardens encourage biodiversity, pollinator and wildlife habitat, as well as deep rooted plants to help sequester carbon and reduce or eliminate the need for mowing, watering, pesticide, and fertilizer use. Yet, all over the country, bylaw enforcement is targeting natural gardeners and mowing down wildflowers.
There are a growing number of environmentally minded Canadians and a community of natural gardeners who are prevented from naturalizing their yards due to bad bylaws and bylaw enforcement. Challenging the constitutionality and legal application of these bylaws will allow the freedom for Canadians to foster an ecologically sound landscape and contribute to biodiversity and sustainability.
Please donate to this precedent setting legal challenge to allow Canadians the right to protect nature in our own backyards.
Protecting Naturalized Gardens
Story
We are currently fighting for the right to have a naturalized garden in Burlington. On June 20th, 2023 bylaw enforcement mowed down our garden in front of us, destroying the natural habitat that included milkweed, New England aster, buttercups, yarrow, lemon balm, Canada goldenrod, arrow-leaved aster, burdock, native grasses, and many other naturalized plant species.
As habitat loss is one of the primary factors in pollinator decline, encouraging wildflower habitat is essential to their survival.
Through this legal challenge, we hope to increase awareness of the importance of supporting biodiversity in urban areas and the barriers to change that come from municipal bylaw enforcement.
Please donate today and help us protect Canadians’ rights to naturalized gardens.
Please also email Mayor of Burlington Marianne Meed Ward and let her know you support Canadians’ rights to naturalized gardens at:
mayor@burlington.ca.
| Name | Donation | Date |
|---|---|---|
| Tom Murphy | $10 | September 4, 2023 6:49 pm |
| Bob Garthson | $25 | August 29, 2023 1:04 pm |
| David Kingsmill | $25 | August 29, 2023 12:35 pm |
| Anne Miles | $30 | August 21, 2023 5:06 pm |
| Patricia Langley | $25 | August 18, 2023 9:51 pm |
| Anonymous | $100 | August 15, 2023 5:40 pm |
| Andrew Pedulla | $40 | August 14, 2023 7:07 pm |
| Anonymous | $40 | August 9, 2023 12:20 am |
| Duncan Naysmith | $40 | August 8, 2023 9:33 pm |
| Linda and Mitch Banks | $105 | August 8, 2023 4:22 pm |
| Susan Lewis | $50 | August 8, 2023 3:26 pm |
| Deb Crosby | $55 | August 8, 2023 1:28 am |
| Susan Ruddick | $50 | August 7, 2023 12:43 am |
