Whether it’s considered a flower or a weed, the common dandelion, with its bright yellow flower, is becoming a common cause for complaint in the community.

The Town has 294 acres of green space to take care of. Keeping on top of mowing can be a challenge, especially when there are fewer workers on the job.

Jennifer Stone, with Communications for the Town, says getting everything mowed takes nine days. If there are rain showers, it can slow the process. The chutes get clogged with wet grass and the fluff from the dandelions can plug the air intakes.

Typically, the Town has 18 summer students at their disposal, but this year they only have 15. Of those students, only seven are mowing, and there is only so much specialty equipment.

Shelley Terry, the General Manager of Municipal Operations, says more workers are coming in July, but the spring is one of the busiest times for Public Works. Not only are they trying to handle the grass, but they are also street sweeping, line painting, filling potholes and getting the flower beds set up.

While it might not seem like the Town has been mowing the grass, it’s not necessarily the case every time.

“The decks of the mowers actually fold [the dandelions] down,” says Terry. “You have to go really slow in order to get them. But we have a lot of area to cover, so we’re still trying to balance how fast we’re going.”

In recent years, the Town had a program to spray the weed to help reduce the number in the green spaces. However, in 2023 they missed their opportunity due to the wildfire. In 2024, their herbicide applicator left the position and they were unable to spray.

But 2025 is going to be their year for spraying dandelions.

Though the dandelion season is winding down, Colin Loose, the herbicide applicator, says the spray they are using will be effective.

“We’re spraying a product that targets broadleaf weeds,” he says. This means the spray doesn’t just prevent dandelions, but it can also work on any clover coming up underneath the dandelions.

Loose says they will be spraying again in August to target any weeds that may be growing at that time.

“If budget allows, we will hopefully do as much second round spraying as we can to ensure that we get adequate control for next year,” he says.

Loose says with an effective spraying program in place, they would be reducing the amount of time needed to mow the grass.

The product they are using has been approved by Health Canada.

“In its concentrated form, it’s not safe for people or animals,” says Loose. “That’s why we take a lot of precautions to make sure our staff are wearing [personal protective equipment] when they’re mixing and loading.”

Once the product has been mixed, the PPE requirements drop substantially, says Loose. Loose says staff will be taking steps to ensure the chemical doesn’t get into the water system. They will also be restricting their spraying to one area at a time. Parks that are being sprayed will also have signs that indicate when the area is safe for re-entry, which is about 24 hours after spraying has been completed.

Like mowing, the spraying sessions will be largely dependent on the weather. Both wind and rain can cause problems.

Stone says there have also been concerns raised about the effect the spraying will have on the bees.

“We take precautions to avoid spraying when insects are present, typically early, early in the morning,” says Loose.

He says the product has been rated to be used the way the Town will be utilizing it, and it shouldn’t affect insects in any negative way.

Loose says bees aren’t entirely reliant on dandelions either. There are other food sources in the area.

“Fortunately, there are acres and acres of land that we will not be spraying, because it doesn’t make sense to,” says Loose. “There are many flowering trees that we’re not going to be spraying. There is an abundance of private land that has ornamentals and other flowering plants and vegetation.”