News Eco-Friendly Practices Municipal
Property owner defiant in effort to get Magog, Que. to change its plant growth bylaw

A Magog, Quc. man has been threatened with a $600 fine if he doesn’t mow his lawn, but he’s determined to fight the local bylaw, saying the diverse plant life growing on his property is more environmentally friendly than a manicured lawn.

The existing bylaw in the municipality stipulates that plant growth cannot exceed 15 centimetres, but Mathieu Roy hopes Magog will take a page from Quebec City and other municipalities in the province where rules have become more relaxed. Defiant residents in those communities fought against existing bylaws and were ultimately rewarded with changes that allowed naturalization.

Roy says if anything needs change, it’s the use of chemical products aimed at killing weeds.

Magog has participated in the No Mow May campaign in an effort to attract pollinators.