Could much of eastern Ontario become a dark-sky preserve? One group hopes so

Kimberley Molina · CBC News

· Posted: May 19, 2025 4:00 AM EDT | Last Updated: 8 hours ago

It's a monolithic undertaking, but 2 men are hoping to crook overmuch of eastbound Ontario into a dark-sky sphere — and they're leaning into astrotourism, something they accidental has been a increasing inclination since the pandemic.

Dark-sky preserves are considered protected areas that effort to trim airy contamination and sphere the nighttime entity for animals, insects and plants that trust connected it.

With that comes astrotourism, wherever radical task to those areas to spot objects successful the nighttime entity that aren't disposable successful cities.

"I telephone it covert environmentalism, but nether the hood, it does wonders for people, wilderness, butterflies, bats," said John Criswick, who started the NWNC Dark-Sky Project (which stands for Narrows Lock, Westport, Newboro and Chaffeys Lock) and has been moving to get that smaller portion declared a sphere done Dark Sky International.

They consciousness that going with that organization, versus the Royal Astronomical Society of Canada — which has certified galore different preserves successful the state — would supply much tourism attraction internationally. 

It besides wouldn't beryllium the archetypal successful the portion to beryllium certfied by DarkSky International, arsenic Mont Tremblant successful occidental Quebec became certified a fewer years ago.

Their undertaking doesn't halt there, however.

Within the adjacent fewer years, they anticipation to grow the task to screen a astir 42,000 square-kilometre area that includes astir 75 towns and townships and more than fractional a cardinal residents successful eastbound Ontario.

"It would marque it 1 of the largest dark-sky preserves successful Canada," said Criswick.

That country would agelong from Cornwall to Hawkesbury, through to Petawawa, Bancroft, Algonquin Provincial Park and down Highway 401.

It would exclude municipalities with populations greater than astir 7 1000 people.

While Criswick said it's much of an acquisition campaign, they'd similar to spot regulations brought successful by municipalities that would screen the types of lights utilized extracurricular — for instance, a much yellow-red hue for thoroughfare lamps alternatively than agleam white.

That's portion of the challenge, Criswick said, arsenic they're up against a increasing occupation successful Canada and astir the satellite — airy pollution.

2% of nighttime entity mislaid each year

"One of the biggest things is the cheapness of LED lights," said Bernie Hasselman, portion of the airy contamination abatement committee with the Royal Astronomical Society of Canada. 

"Bright achromatic gives disconnected a batch of bluish airy and bluish airy is ... a serotonin inhibitor. So it prevents a batch of the quality for radical to get the remainder that they need."

It's besides a increasing problem.

The world, Hasselman said, is losing astir 2 per cent of the night entity each twelvemonth to airy pollution, a problem that didn't truly beryllium overmuch much than 100 years ago.

People who unrecorded successful municipality centres, helium said, apt person ne'er seen a genuinely acheronian sky unless they've ventured into the state astatine night.

"They've ne'er seen the Milky Way unless they've gone retired camping," helium said.

"It's astonishing however accelerated your eyes can be adjusted to acheronian successful astir 10 minutes," Hasselman added. "But 1 flash of a flashlight and boom, you're backmost to starting each over."

How to trim airy pollution

Part of the inaugural involves helping eastbound Ontarians understand what airy contamination is, and how to trim it.

"If you request immoderate lights to beryllium capable to get safely down your steps oregon get retired to your dock, great. If you privation to person immoderate lights successful your garden, that's great," said Dustin Johnston, who's moving with Criswick connected the dark-sky project.

There are tiny tweaks, however, that anyone tin do, helium added.

"You tin person [those lights] shielded oregon facing down oregon person them not ace bright. You tin person them connected the amber spectrum."

Before labelling overmuch of the eastbound Ontario portion a dark-sky preserve, they're aiming toward holding a "dark week" successful May 2026 — the 200th day of the commencement of the operation of the Rideau Canal.

"It's absorbing to unrecorded present and beryllium successful eastbound Ontario, successful this region. It's pristine, it's beautiful. It's dark. It has each those attributes," said Criswick. "We're not truly asking anyone to bash anything, it's conscionable going forward."

Criswick and Johnston are holding a festival successful Perth, Ont., connected Saturday.