Council rejects temporary use change

LEAMINGTON — At a public meeting to determine if a local greenhouse operator could get a temporary use zoning by-law approved for housing farm workers, Leamington Council agreed with administration’s recommendation to deny the request.

The property in question — at 6 Georgia Avenue — has been housing farm workers since 2016.

But that use does not fall within the town’s official plan, and the deadline for owners to meet the standards set forth last year with the Boarding House and Farm Worker Dwellings by-law was not met, according to administration.

While a valid Leamington Fire Services safety plan was signed off in October 2020 for 30 occupants, council felt that this property should not be housing that many people.

There are two buildings on the property — a two-storey home and a large garage — both of which have been serving as homes for a couple dozen farm workers in recent years.

Jackie Lassaline — representing the grower, Great Lakes Greenhouses — said that the temporary use tag would give the farm time to get proper housing arranged for the workers in question. The temporary use bylaw is usually good for three years.

“Through the temporary use by-law, the landowner would be able to establish home accommodations on the home farm,” she said.

Mark Reimer, also representing Great Lakes, said that the home farm will have new bunkhouses constructed and they will bring all their workers to the farm once that is complete. He said they are working on plans for a wastewater treatment plant on the farm, as well as working with an engineering firm on plans for the bunkhouses.

The Windsor-Essex County Health Unit has been conducting annual inspections of the property on Georgia and recent reports have varied.

In 2019, the health unit approved the property for 15 occupants in the main dwelling and 14 in the secondary building.

In 2020, the health unit approved only four in the main building and four in the secondary unit.

Then in 2021, the health unit approved four in the main building and 14 in the secondary building.

While there were no written objections submitted from members of the public with regard to the request, the town’s planning department recommended that council deny the request based on sewer capacity and other factors.

Mayor Hilda MacDonald was the most vocal of all the council members when it came time to discuss the request.

“This is not acceptable in my community,” she said. “Thirty people in a house? No!”

Mayor MacDonald went on to say that besides the obvious sewer capacity overload, she had to think about the neighbourhood.

“This is the reason we voted the boarding house by-law in,” she said. “I find it beyond comprehension that we are doing this in Canada, Ontario or in Leamington in particular.”

MacDonald said the community has made it clear that they want the practice of putting so many people into residential houses to stop.

“That’s based on feedback from the residents that live in this community,” she said.

Councillor Tim Wilkinson agreed, saying he supported the recommendation to deny the temporary use.

Council voted unanimously to deny the request, with Councillor Trevor Jones declaring a pecuniary interest and therefore did not participate in the discussion or the vote.