With the exception of Crawford between Tecumseh Rd West and Wyandotte Street West, many of the locations appear to be concentrated around local BIA areas. Consultation with BIA representatives indicated a consensus dislike from an aesthetic and health and safety perspective for the type of LED lights being installed but cited there is no mechanism to discourage them.

Business owners that have supported and installed these lights, some of which are coloured, flashing and excessively bright LEDs, identified that the main intentions for using these fixtures are to a) attract customers to their business, b) provide a more legible sign through this lighting, and c) create a safer environment around the business. The research and previous complaints presented at Council in October has identified that the very opposite is happening (See Appendix C).

Police Services provided a review of the lights placed around windows from a Crime Prevention Through Environmental Design (CPTED) perspective (see Appendix E). While the main perceived drawback of the existence of lighting in and around the perimeter of building windows may very well be reduced aesthetical value, there is also a discernible impact on public safety. Specifically such lights, when individual bulbs are assembled close together around a window and in higher wattages, create a situation of excessive glare as the light reflects off the adjacent window surface. When this occurs, the ability to see through the window into the building’s interior space can become greatly diminished. The result is an inability for patrolling police, or other witnesses, to be able to easily observe potentially suspicious activity within the affected commercial spaces where a crime may be occurring.

The glare created also presents a situation of general observation loss of the property during nighttime conditions. The problem becomes exacerbated if lights are larger, spaced closer together, and have higher intensity (wattage) output. The general purpose of a window in any building is to permit both two-way visibility and light passage through it but the placement of these types of perimeter lights around windows can greatly inhibit this. Thus, the net loss of ongoing natural surveillance capacity reduces the overall safety of the space by limiting observability and witnessing potential accordingly.

As identified in the previous report to Council (S 119/2019), Section 129 of the Municipal Act, 2001 provides municipalities with authority to “prohibit and regulate with respect to noise, vibration, odour, dust and outdoor illumination, including indoor lighting that can be seen outdoors.”

In 2005 Council approved the Lighting Intensity Standards Study (LISS) CR228/2005 as Guiding Principles for development of private lands subject to Site Plan Control. (see Appendix D) The Council Resolution (CR225-2008) also made recommendation for the information found in this report to be incorporated into lighting policies for the Official Plan, Sign By-Law (250-2004), Property Standards By-law and City rights-of-way. LISS identified that Non Cut-Off lighting produces distracting glare, which not only contributes to light pollution but also creates hazards, health and safety issues and contravenes CPTED (Crime Prevention Through Environmental Design) principles.