The Town of Huntsville is becoming a dark sky-friendly community.
When the Outdoor Lighting Bylaw was passed in 2016, property owners with existing light fixtures were given ten years to comply. The ten-year grace period is up on January 25, 2026.
The Town says it is working closely with residents, businesses, and visitors “to make this change as simple and effective as possible, while also helping to safeguard the beauty and serenity of our night skies.”
The municipality has created a page with tips on how to comply and a copy of the bylaw, HERE.
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So looking forward to this. It would be so nice to see the aurora borialus. We live a few kilometres south of Huntsville and when we look to the north, all we see is the glow from town at night. I hope it all works out.
Motion activated lights will work to keep areas lit at night, but only when needed. Like when the racoons come near your house, or maybe even a bad person. Do any parking lots or street lights use them? As far as sports parks go most of their lights get turned off at night or can be turned off.
They make the sky darker, the street stays the same…. Unless the crimes are happening in heaven? I suppose anything is possible.
I would like to express my thought on the new bylaw on darker sky’s in Huntsville
Has the town gone CRAZY?
If you haven’t noticed Crime is up in Huntsville.
Why would you make our streets Darker?
Make them safer!
This bylaw should not be enforced
Unfortunately Muskoka night skies are getting brighter not darker.
New super bright, glaring LED streetlights are a problem and create much brighter night skies.
Including in Muskoka.
Drive down any street at night and look at a streetlight.
Very bright, glaring, distracting light from the side long before you get to the light.
And notice how much it lights up homes instead of just the road.
Dark skies is supposed to be a priority here but, clearly, it is not.
There are dark sky bylaws but they are ignored by those in charge of streetlights.
Many homes and cottages are also now lit up all night.
Differences between old and new streetlights is visible from space.
In fact “Astronauts found something troubling in these shots from space”
New streetlights here are far too bright.
Huge increase in brightness for no reason at all.
Search “Residents say new LED streetlights are blinding”
and “TOO BRIGHT: Residents fighting back against new LED streetlights in Kamloops”
and “Bad Streetlights – International Dark-Sky Association”
Solutions already exist.
Communities want the sideways glare eliminated with side shields.
Light up the road only, not everything else within 50 metres.
Dimmer new lights similar to the old lights exist as well.
And “pursuing options such as true down-lighting, amber coloured light, lighting only when and where needed.”
How will this apply to the lighting at the Panolam plant on Domtar Road?
This is a laudable goal and an excellent resource/information page (thanks Dark Sky International). I’m glad there is a link to reporting. If people give a moment’s thought to the existence and effect of lighting at night (that is the challenge, right there) then we are on our way to bringing back the stars (and, realistically, more and more satellites reflecting light) as best we might in our community. You could see stars more clearly in decades gone by, obviously. Good luck to us all.
and let’s not forget the Macauley Robertson Sports Park.