The privilege of home ownership brings responsibilities, which include regular mowing of the adjacent boulevard, even if it’s city property.

With summer receding in the rear-view mirror (say it ain’t so!), weeds that have sprouted since early spring are flourishing in places where lawn mowers don’t go.

Several readers have emailed in recent weeks about weeds that have grown to towering heights on Toronto streets, questioning why the city hasn’t cut them long ago.

The most recent came last week from Rick Ross, who said the boulevard at Claywood Rd. and Horsham Ave., near Yonge St. and Finch Ave., is home to an outstanding crop of weeds.

He included photos with his note, saying, “not only is the grass extremely long and has it been like this for most of the summer, but one of the pictures shows goldenrod, which is really creating allergy issues, making it a health hazard, not just an eyesore.”

Hold it right there, buster. There was a time when I made the same mistake, identifying goldenrod as an allergen, until knowledgeable readers corrected me. Goldenrod unfairly gets a bad rap when it’s confused with ragweed, the real cause of sneezing, watery eyes and an itchy nose in late summer.

But Ross was right about the mess at that corner. I went there and found weeds at least one metre high, growing next to the property at the northeast corner of Claywood and Horsham. A thistle had reached a height of nearly two metres and stood out like a Christmas tree.

A lot of people — including some misinformed homeowners — think it’s the city’s job to keep boulevards trimmed, but a city bylaw requires the owners of adjacent properties to do it.

Section 743-36 of the Toronto Municipal Code says “the owner or occupier of land adjoining the street shall maintain the boulevard at their expense,” which includes maintain(ing) the grassed portion of the boulevard at a height not exceeding 20 centimetres,” or about 7.8 inches, at most.

It goes on to say that “where the owner or occupier fails to undertake the work required under this section, the (city) may undertake it … and recover the costs,” by adding it to the property tax bill.

So in this case, the homeowner is on the hook for trimming the boulevard.

STATUS: Eric Holmes, a spokesperson for transportation services, emailed to confirm that “the homeowner is responsible for care and maintenance of the adjacent boulevard,” and that city staff are looking into alternatives, since the owner has shown no signs of interest.

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