“Daily periods of light and dark are required to maintain the health of all living things. Millions of birds and bats migrate through the South Shore at night and they are disoriented by light.”
Anderson pointed to the massive die-off of birds who became confused while flying near the Lennox and Addington power generating station in 1981.
The facility was using bright floodlights. That situation has been rectified.
Burr told the committee that in 2016 the South Shore was classified as a typical dark sky site using data from satellites.
However, 2022 data suggests more light is in the area’s sky as it was classed as a “rural sky.”
Burr said a Dark Sky Preserve would show environmental responsibility and promote energy-efficient lighting.
In order to designate a preserve, Burr suggested council and staff create light pollution by-laws, plan to retrofit lighting as part of life-cycle management, provide a letter of support to the South Shore Initiative and the Royal Astronomical Society of Canada, and agree to a memorandum of understanding regarding the use of the Mariner’s Park Museum property for Dark Sky events and for Dark Sky viewing.
Councillor Bill Roberts was wholeheartedly in favour of the concept for more than environmental reasons.
“So things like Dark Day festivals, all those things expand the tourism season, they diversify the economic benefit of tourism, they add to the local economy.”
However, Councillor Brad Nieman wondered about the cost of replacing the municipality’s countless light fixtures, especially since LED lighting was recently installed in the county at considerable expense.
Burr said a light pollution by-law would not be about banning lighting but provide recommendations on shielding, installation, and lighting types.
Councillors Phil St. Jean and David Harrison were suspicious about creating new by-laws regulating what people could do with their own property.
St. Jean wondered how a light pollution by-law could be enforced and Councillor Pennell believed staff had more important things to do than come up with a report on night skies.
Harrison said he wouldn’t support a Dark Sky Preserve saying he’d lived in the area his whole life, much of it in the commercial fishing business, and as far as he was concerned the nights were as dark or darker than ever these days. He saw no need for such a by-law.
“That land out there now, if you look at that map, is over half-owned by conservation groups which means that there will not be adverse lighting on those lands.”
The committee held a recorded vote on having a staff report on the process involved with creating a Dark Sky Preserve.
Voting in favour were councillors Branderhorst, Engelsdorfer, Hirsch, MacNaughton, Grosso, Roberts, St. Jean, Maynard, and Mayor Ferguson.
Against were councillors Harrison, Pennell, Neiman, and Prinzen.
Here is detail on Dark Sky Preserves in Canada.
Find more information on the Royal Astronomical Society of Canada here.
See Dark Sky International’s website here.
