It’s been less than two months since the Town of Huntsville’s outdoor lighting bylaw came into full force, and the bylaw enforcement department has already received a significant number of complaints.
When the Town of Huntsville’s outdoor lighting bylaw was passed in 2016, property owners with existing light fixtures were given ten years to comply. The ten-year grace period was up on January 25, 2026.
Huntsville’s bylaw enforcement department has not issued penalties under the bylaw, but has received numerous complaints, according to Huntsville Councillor and Chair of the Town’s Planning Council, Bob Stone.
Stone, who has been pushing for the protection of Huntsville’s dark sky for 10 years, said the municipality has received 30 complaints since the bylaw came into full compliance on January 25.
“No penalties have been issued. It’s been more of an education piece. If someone doesn’t change their lighting, then there would be escalating fines eventually.” Stone said the municipality isn’t going door-to-door checking “people’s lights. It’s all complaint-driven, and we’re just trying to help people understand that you can achieve all your lighting objectives without spreading the light up or onto your neighbour’s property.”
He said residents are being encouraged to use motion sensor lights with timers when lighting pathways, parking areas, or driveways.
“Some people have asked me why we’re doing it. Because it is fundamental to who we are. The clean water, the trees, and seeing the stars. It’s also good for the animals because lighting at night does affect predatory behaviours and reproduction in animals, and it also affects the human circadian rhythm, so it’s good all around if we can do this.”
Regarding public criticism of the municipality’s exemption from the bylaw, Stone said that, under the bylaw, only the Town’s recreation facilities are exempt. “Which means our fields, courts and rinks can be lit up at night and are exempt from the bylaw, but other properties that we own, facilities that we own, are in full compliance.”
Last May, council approved changes to the bylaw, including the requirement that architectural lighting and landscape lighting must be turned off between the hours of 11 p.m. and sunrise the following day. Exemptions included, for example, if a car dealership uses lights for security purposes, although they are not required to turn their lights off after 11 p.m., they must reduce the intensity of the lights to no more than 2000 lumens.
The bylaw also includes a section for individuals seeking an exemption for a special event or other purposes. They can submit their request to the appeals committee.
The bylaw encourages the use of low-wattage lights that are oriented downward to minimize glare and light trespass throughout the municipality.
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Mr. Markle, I put forth no opinion, and made no statement of scientific origin.
I only say your view on this subject lacks basis and once again you should look up the reasons behind a dark sky strategy.
Simply being on this earth 81 years does not validate your statement.
I never claimed to write a book on the subject, did you?
If you wrote a book was it on dark skies strategy?
And writing opinions everyday in this paper may make you feel an expert on everything, but just because you like to hear your own voice does not qualify a person as an expert.
Because you are comfortable going somewhere other than Muskoka to enjoy a dark sky doesn’t mean everyone else is.
If one of the local farms decided to put in a dirt bike track they would be legal to do so as a non commercial past time, would you enjoy that or go somewhere else to enjoy quiet?
My family has been in this area since 1948 and they didn’t come here for the bright lights of Barrie.
No response required.
I support William Kidd’s comments about the Legion.
Ever notice how it’s always the same people that comment on doppler? Why don’t we all go down to the legion and sort this out or duke it out ….whatever.( If you are not a legion member then join. The legion does a lot of good.) I am amazed that those of us that always comment aren’t running the town or the district or the province because we all are experts. I personally would have invented oxygen but someone beat me to it! But that is just my opinion.
Wow !! Thomas Spivak. My opinions are certainly my own and I don’t feel I’m in the presence of greatness because we disagree. I’ve hunted, fished, studied the night sky and enjoyed my 81 plus years here in Muskoka. Except for a couple I spent in a bunch of southern towns and cities. Never enjoyed that. I know where to go to see darkness so you can leave your light on or off. Up to you.
I’ve seen lots of critters wander through the yard and bush, generally when there was a light on. 0r I turned one on, ’cause I don’t see well in the dark. Those nocturnal critters definitely do have an advantage. And lots of them are as at home in cities as they are here in the bush.
So my opinion may not be scientific, but inferring that yours is, is a bit of a reach. Haven’t seen your book. Move over Carl Sagan, John Muir and Aldo Leopold. And I don’t see much science in your comment. Just that I’m wrong. For myself, you can think what you want.
My going back 81 years and starting over isn’t an option. Not sure I’d want to in today’s world.
Mr. Markle, your comment on this topic is a rambling statement with absolutely no scientific basis. Purely your own opinion and lacks anything to back it up.
You completely miss the point of a dark skies strategy.
Do your homework and start over.
Unfortunately Muskoka night skies are getting brighter not darker.
New super bright, glaring LED streetlights are the biggest 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.”
Wondering if lights are allowed for safety purposes, includes cottages back in forest areas?
Last summer a person was seen who murdered several people a few hours later wondering in that particular area.
Lights are needed for safety. IMHO.
Good on you Brian Tapley. Anyone who thinks that a bit of light scares the little furry critters doesn’t go out enough. At night, when the nocturnal feeders are about. Have turned a big light on beavers and raccoons when they were about their business. They checked out the light and went back to chopping birch and straining for clams and crayfish. Nobody ever put the run on a skunk by shining a light on it. It will leave when it’s good and ready.
When the deer are in the garden and the motion sensor turns the yard light on, they hardly stop chewing. At our home on Brunel, the dog and the deer had a truce. The dog would bark, the deer would freeze. The dog would go about her business and ask to get in. The deer would continue chewing. They would even pull the carrots. We could see all this because the light was on. Now, we hardly see a light when we shut down for the night.
If you have a peeve with lights, tell the neighbor. There are some around the lakes and backroads who just leave them on for some reason. Citified and afraid of the dark? ‘Cause the animals aren’t afraid of the light. Some may find it an inconvenience but not a hazard or frightening in any way.
I’m pretty sure more animals are killed or maimed under the wheels of cars and trucks than are ever afraid of a light. Unless they are the headlights of that Subaru. Get a motion sensor. But understand how that goes.
“Ralph/ Barb. The motion sensor came on! Go check”.
Grumble. Pout. “It was just a skunk on the driveway”.
“Did you scare it off?”
“It just went behind the car. I’m not going out to scare it off!”.
“Damn things wander around all night”‘ Whine.
If you don’t like lights, I’m with you. Don’t need them on all night long. And proximity to bright lights does hinder late night viewing of our sky. But how many are into that. And if someone is, they generally know a good place to go to get that unlit heaven. Don’t use the critters as an excuse.
The switch is on the wall of someone’s house. There’s the culprit.
After the town solves the lighting problem in Huntsville, they can look at Tent city in the summer behind Metro and McDonald’s. Michael O’Mara
With crime on the rise I hope people dont get too on top of thos with lights for security! We know MANY residents whov been REPEATEDLY broken into, theives looking for tools or equipmnt they can resell…..i kno very few places with big flood lights but many residents dealing with theft and havng a dark property is EXACTLY wht criminals like.
BE AWARE FOLKS, be safe and pls dont use this ridiculous law to rat on your neighbours who are jst tryng to protect their homes and families!
Residents and businesses have had 10 years to bring their lights into compliance or to turn them off. Why is the city not enforcing the law after this lengthy “grace period”–during which (presumably) most persons with noncompliant lighting fixtures took responsibility to come into compliance.
The time for what Councillor Stone refers to as “encouragement” and something “more of an education piece” was in the last 10 years beginning when the ordianance was passed.
Why should citizens who complied with the rules in a timely manner have to suffer from the discomfort and negative health impacts of bad lighting because other people did not act to come into compliance within those 10 years? Why should the negative ecosystem impacts of excessive and poorly aimed and inadequately shielded light be allowed to persist?
Controlling light pollution is a matter of human and environmental health–just as much as is controlling pollution of our air, water, and soil. It’s not just “a nice idea.”
Furthermore, as can be seen from several comments here, there are residents who have no interest in compliance with the ordinance and are even hostile to such. That speaks to a failure of the Town and its bylaws enforcement department to have engaged in adequate public education about the need for protection of the nighttime environment.
Having the enforcement of health, safety, and environmental protections be complaint-driven is almost always a bad idea. It pits citizens against citizens. We are often reluctant to file a complaint against a neighbor even when the neighbor’s actions directly harm our health and reduce our peaceful enjoyment of our properties or reduce our property values.
Leaving it up to residents to file complaints in order to take enforcement actions also reflects a lack of concern of the Town governance for quality of life and the environment.
Over the last thirty odd years I’ve watched the night sky over Huntsville grow ever brighter. I am personally shielded from this one by a large hunk of Muskoka rock, but more noticeable is Baysville, which has become a powerful light source.Hidden Valley’s ski hill is pretty bright but it is on briefly in winter only and a lot of people like to ski at night, what is the harm.
I suppose better designed fixtures can reduce this so why are these fixtures not tagged as “compliant” in places like Home depot that sell them? It should be a nice big and easy to read tag right on every fixture sold, that it is “night sky friendly”
With the cost of hydro, it would make sense for property owners to minimize outdoor lighting. I do, but my new “mega cottage” neighbors, well I guess having spent all those millions to buy the land and build their edifice, maybe they want the world to know they have done it? Sort of like billboard advertising? So they light it up like a used car lot, boathouse and all and nobody home most of the time.
On the other hand I’m not so sure that a bit of light bothers a lot of animals. I’ve seen deer, wolves and such that don’t seem to care about light fixtures at all. For sure 99% of insects seem to love lights. This might be bad for the insects but so are firms like Splat and Mosquito Buzz, tossing chemicals in all directions. How do we handle them if lights are so bad?
As for fireworks, where did this come from? We are already regulated to death on this one. There are darn few fireworks displays nowadays and if it is not possible to cut loose a bit on new Years, Canada Day, Labor day, or the rare (and permitted already) special occasion like maybe a wedding or 75th birthday then. it seems too strict.
Thank you Jeff Martin.
You are exactly right about the bright lights in the sky due to the Town allowing fire works, especially at Deerhurst and the Hidden Valley area. Not only lighting up the sky, the extremely loud noise from the fireworks plays hell on the wildlife, birds, dogs, cats, horses, farm animals and people suffering with PTSD. It is all about Tourism which is extremely sad. We don’t have street lights in Hidden Valley like in the majority of subdivisions. Fines for not having the proper lighting out here is nit picking when the Town allows fire works. The Town does not care.
Camping at Kiosk campground on the north side of Algonquin Park in 2024,at night the milky way way stunning, but the sky over Huntsville was lit up quite disturbingly. Huntsville is 75 km away as the crow flies.
“Exemptions included… car dealership not required to turn their lights off after 11 p.m., they must reduce the intensity of the lights to no more than 2000 lumens.” Each light? Is this happening now? Not that I have seen. What about requiring amber to replace blue-white light? (Too bad the town didn’t install amber LED when all the streetlights were replaced; missed opportunity). There is a price to replacement and compliance yet the cost is loss of night sky as we knew it. If that is actually accepted as a problem, make the recovery happen. Other jurisdictions have done so.
I’m all for the bylaw but it is only worth anything if educating results in action.
Is there nothing more important to bitch about ??
For Real ??? Outside lighting bylaw ???
Pfffft, maybe concentrate on more important infrastructure issues, and tourism issues.
I thought the lighting bylaw was an excellent addition to the Town rules. Thank you Bob for your clarifications – it all makes sense to me. It was very clearly written and well-communicated when it was passed 10 years ago.
I have talked to several of my neighbours about their non-compliant lights – which are often left on all night, but it looks like I will. have to contact bylaw enforcement for some of them.
It has been frustrating watching so many new builds using non-compliant lighting since the bylaw was passed 10 years ago. Now they will have to replace / adjust their lighting at extra cost. Just sheer incompetence.
This is quite contradictory to the allowance of fireworks, which creates havoc for the animal world. Does the Town care about animals or don’t they?
What a joke.. nothing better than complaining about a light left on…?
It’s time to stop “encouraging” and start enforcing. I live on a property that is in direct non-compliance regardless of the bylaw..bright LED lights and only one timed overhead light. My requests for change from our management company have gone unheeded for 3 years now; predating the timed out compliance period. No excuse now. Coincidentally, one of our bylaw officers lives on this street. It’s time for compliance.
I’m curious what exemption the concrete plant on the highway south of Lindgren road has, its lights the sky as far as Allensville Utterson?