Green Line
This telephone service, offered free of charge to citizens, is available from June 1 to November 1 and will answer any questions that you may have about the environment, including environmentally friendly lawn care, urban trees, unwanted wildlife, invasive plants and sustainable living habits.
You can also consult Pointe Claire’s environmental columns, which cover a wide range of relevant topics.
| Environmentally friendly lawn care
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Learn about environmental practices to improve the health of your lawn. Notable practices include:
Keeping your lawn at a slightly longer length, preferably between 8-10 cm, to prevent weed infestation Reducing the use of fertilizer by overseeding, adding topsoil, grass cycling, and aerating your lawn. Encouraging biodiversity by planting alternative ecological lawns such as clover and thyme. |
| Urban forestry and canopy
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Planting trees on your property can enhance the landscape, improve air quality, reduce the heat island effect, and increase carbon capture and storage. When planting urban trees, it is important to consider the following points:
Selection of tree species: To select the best tree, please contact us so we may help with the selection process by catering to the specific conditions of your yard (such as the amount of space and amount of sunlight that your yard receives). Plantation of the tree: When planting a tree in your yard, there are certain best practices to follow including, digging a hole twice as wide as the base of the new tree, using mulch to keep the soil moist and protect the roots, and creating a ring of soil around the tree to give the roots enough water. Proper maintenance after planting: The basics of properly taking care of a newly planted tree include frequent watering, adding organic mulch (grass clippings, wood shavings, compost, etc.), and adding a stake next to the tree for the first year or two of life. |
| Unwanted wildlife
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Each homeowner is responsible to call a private company to have mice, groundhogs, squirrels, skunks, or raccoons removed from their property. However, we can recommend some strategies to get rid of these unwanted visitors, such as using natural animal repellents (cayenne pepper, black pepper, Epsom salts, etc.) on commonly visited areas and burrowing sites. |
| Harmful and invasive plants
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Each homeowner is responsible to call a private company to deal with infestations of harmful plants such as poison ivy, buckthorn, or weeds on their property. However, we can recommend some strategies to get rid of invasive and harmful plants, such as manual removal or using certain biopesticides. It is important to note that the use of certain pesticides requires a temporary permit from Public Works, refer to Section III of By-law PC-2865: Règlement sur l’utilisation de pesticides sur le terriroire de la Ville de Pointe Claire. |
| Attracting pollinators to your yard
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Without pollinators, our breakfasts would be missing key components such as coffee, fruits, and honey. Pollinators are important to the urban environment as they maintain a rich and dynamic biodiversity and allow for food-producing crops. The following are examples of species that will attract pollinators to your yard:
Thyme Chive Lavender Echinacea Milkweed Marguerite daisy Monarda Lupine |
| Reducing individual water consumption
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Lowering our water consumption protects and conserves this collective resource. Pointe Claire has recently adopted the by-law concerning the use of drinking water (PC – 2974) which has been in effect as of June 2024. We recommend different ways for anyone to reduce their personal water consumption, including:
Capturing rainwater in barrels for different uses. They are offered at a small cost for citizens of Pointe-Claire. Choosing plants adapted to drought. Building a rain garden. Conserving water by implementing environmentally friendly lawn care practices such as grass cycling. Consult the Consumption of Drinking Water webpage for more advice. |
Information
For more information and other environmental questions, contact the Green Line at 514-630-1300 extension 1745 or ligneverte@pointe-claire.ca.