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Constitutional right to a wild garden with weeds and bees to be tested in Ontario court (www.nationalobserver.com)
submitted 11 months ago by to c/canada@lemmy.ca
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A Burlington homeowner is fighting charges over her “naturalized garden” of native plants in her front and back yards. The city is taking Karen Barnes to Provincial Offences Court, seeking up to $400,000 in fines for violating a bylaw order to cut it down.

Barnes is challenging the case on constitutional grounds, arguing her right to freedom of expression through gardening is protected under the Charter of Rights and Freedoms.

She says her garden supports pollinators, biodiversity and wildlife, reflecting her environmental and spiritual beliefs. She appeared for a pre-trial hearing on Wednesday and is scheduled for a two-day trial in November, according to her lawyer, Vilko Zbogar.

Zbogar says the case is about more than the fine. “Courts have recognized since at least 1996 that freedom of expression under the Charter protects natural gardens as expressions of profound environmental values,” he said. “For Karen, it’s also a spiritual exercise — tied to her creed and beliefs. This falls under Sections 2(a) and 2(b) of the Charter: freedom of conscience and religion and freedom of expression.”

Experts say naturalized gardens and meadows can attract far more pollinators than regularly mown lawns, while also using less water and improving soil health.

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[–] -4 points 11 months ago (1 child)

Yes but also no. I agree but there is a big grain of salt to be had here. Yards like also help pests thrive too. Particularly ticks and rodents come to mind. Lots of hiding areas that are safe for rodents to avoid seen / caught. Easy safe pathways for skunks, raccoons, possums etc. Ticks are gona love the tall plants and moist conditions. Earwigs are gona be all up in almost everything that is there. If there is anything that grows fruit, well you vet your ass theres gona be way more paper wasps/balshead hornets/ yellow jackets etc. Is the increased pollen going to now cause more allergies for 8 year old Timmy next door? When winter rolls around all those wonderfull bugs and critters 100% gona want to cozy up in your 2000sqft home. From attic, basment, or kitchen Cupboard.

Eveyone seems to miss the fact that a diverse environment doesn't only just attract bees and Butterflies. It wouldn't be "diverse " if it did.

The big reason we grow grass and keep it short is for pest control.

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  • [–] 11 points 11 months ago (3 children)

    ignoring the obvious fact that you're effectively declaring entire clades of sentient animals to be basically biological waste because i know im going to make exactly zero headway with a human supremacist in this comment; if the primary consideration were pests, wouldn't stones or pavement be a more ideal solution than grass with all the maintenance and upkeep that requires being baked into the law?

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  • [–] 0 points 11 months ago (1 child)

    i feel comfortable declaring centipedes, you know those ones that look like eyelashes? those are biological waste because they freak me the fuck out. every time i see one i have nightmares for a week i'm going to wake up with beautiful gorgeous long eyelashes, but they'll turn out to just be centipedes with a thing for my eye juices. if they have any other purpose in the universe than giving me eye juice nightmares i don't want to hear it

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  • [–] 9 points 11 months ago (1 child)

    Oh, are you talking about House Centipedes? Great for controlling other insects in your house!

    And also, at my current phase in my life, the closest thing I'll have to some creature cuddling me at night.

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  • [–] 5 points 11 months ago (1 child)

    i use wolf spiders for house insect control. currently Gary is on duty

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  • [–] 3 points 11 months ago (1 child)

    That's funny, my kids named the basement spider "Terry" and they take pictures whenever he shows up.

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  • [–] 0 points 11 months ago (1 child)

    i fucking hate ants (hyperope, can't see them til they bite my ass), and Gary does a good job of patrolling the spots they enter and eating them. he's a cool dude.

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  • [–] -2 points 11 months ago (1 child)

    Grass seed is significantly cheaper and faster than stones and pavement. Grass also provides some water retention during rain, helping reduce demand on storm drains.

    Yes you will not make headway with this human supremacist for the fact that I have zero interest in paying thousands of dollars in repairs. Because some coon decided to live in my crawl space and fuck my shit up. Or worse yet, have a rat chew up wires and burn my house down. Fun fact, rats love the texture of Romex wire on their teeth.

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  • [–] 0 points 11 months ago* (last edited 11 months ago)

    this human supremacist

    i take it back. i made a very small amount of headway with a human supremacist

    edit: "coon" tasteful, bud. fun fact, humans love the texture of gunmetal in their hands. hey have you considered maybe its your fault for living in a house that's not built to resist invasion? modern materials and construction techniques work wonders in allowing humans to pretend the natural world they're raping for resources doesn't exist. but no, it must be the animals seeking shelter, they must be murdered for their inconvenient audacity of wanting to be fucking alive. because you have zero interest in paying for any alternative solutions. it's not in your interest to have empathy for other living creatures. empathy is a sin. you didnt rape all those resources just to spend them on anything or anyone else. those resources are for you. that's why god put those animals there and you in charge of them, because you know best.

    i hope you seek shelter and are murdered for the attempt by someone who looks at you the same way you look at a rat.

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