City council to vote this month on removing $500 foxtail barley fines

Calgary's community development committee voted 7-0 on Monday to remove a provision from the city's community standards bylaw that allowed $500 fines for failing to manage foxtail barley on residential properties, with a final council vote expected later this month.

The bylaw amendment, adopted in 2023 and spearheaded by then-Ward 12 Councillor Evan Spencer, required foxtail barley to be no taller than 8 centimetres on "nuisance properties" — unmaintained, unsightly properties causing issues for neighbours. Other tall grasses are allowed up to 15 centimetres.

Ryan Pleckaitis, the city's chief of community standards, told council the bylaw has been difficult to enforce. "We'd be getting calls out to residential properties and there'd be a handful of foxtail barley plants, which I don't think ever matched the spirit or intent of adding this into the bylaw in the first place," he said. The original intent was to address large infestations in developing communities, not scattered plants on individual properties.

The bylaw has generated high complaint volumes, with peace officers spending significant time on calls for small amounts of the plant — time drawn away from other duties. Of more than 12,000 long-grass and weed complaints last year, 1,533 pertained to foxtail barley.

Ward 2 Councillor Jennifer Wyness, who introduced the motion to repeal the provision, argued the city itself is often the worst offender. "We were seeing seeds spread from city lands onto private property, with the expectation that private properties would be required to treat it and keep it trimmed," she said. "We need to make sure that if a resident is going to be fined for not holding to a city standard, the city should hold to that standard as well."

If council approves the removal, administration will continue managing foxtail barley on city-owned property and increase education efforts to inform pet owners of the plant's health risks.