The Niagara Greenhouse Growers say there are increasing pressures at the municipal level
Niagara greenhouse operators are working together to overcome increasing pressures and complexities at the municipal level.
John Boekestyn is the Chair of the Niagara Greenhouse Growers, and says they had their 1st AGM in St. Catharines.
He says they need to have a say in by-laws, development charges, and regulations. "We don't want to be lumped into the same category as subdivisions, or shopping plazas, because we're not like that. We don't get the same services, and we shouldn't be paying the same development charges, etc."
He says the idea for a group started in Lincoln a few years ago to face cannabis challenges, and has grown to include most Niagara greenhouses.
He adds greenhouses are important, and come a long way. "It's not the greenhouse of yesteryear, like with my dad. We grew flowers and plants on the ground, bent over, and working hard. And now, it's quite automated."
He says Lincoln is the hub of plant and flower production in Niagara.
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