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Denise Johnson has lived in the East Fraser Lands in southeast Vancouver for 22 years, and says nuisance lighting only became an issue for her last year, when a new townhouse development was built across the street from her.

“You would not believe the intensity of these LED lights. They’re incredible,” Johnson said. “It’s definitely affecting my health, my stress level is through the roof. … This is not going away. I can’t live like this.”

Johnson hopes the bylaw amendment will help. But she worries the problem might continue.

“There’s a reason why exposing humans to bright unshielded light is a universally recognized method of torture. Because it’s extremely effective, it damages your mental health and your physical health,” she said. “It’s just causing me so much anxiety, and I’m sure I’m not the only one.”

Photo by Denise Johnson / PNG

Johnson has been trying since last year to resolve the situation, speaking to the building’s architect, managers and residents, but the problem persists. Earlier this month, she connected with Green Coun. Adriane Carr and raised her concerns.

“Light pollution is an incredibly important issue to many people,” Carr said. “People are telling me about losing sleep, it’s having impacts on their mental and physical health.”

Often, Carr said, these problems come up in newer buildings with electronic LED lights in neighbourhoods where multi-family buildings are close together. It has become more of a concern as more of the city’s neighbourhoods become more dense.