Winnipegger whacked with mowing bill from city says long grass complaint 'doesn't make sense'

Bryce Hoye · CBC News

· Posted: Jun 24, 2025 4:07 PM EDT | Last Updated: 4 hours ago

An East Elmwood homeowner is questioning the rationale down a determination by metropolis workers to mow his writer aft idiosyncratic complained it was excessively long.

City workers mowed Wayne Moody's beforehand and backmost lawns and boulevard on Talbot Avenue past week aft idiosyncratic complained his writer exceeded maximum limits nether the municipal neighbourhood livability bylaw — thing helium denies.

"If it's not unsightly, wherefore are you doing it?" Moody said. "It conscionable doesn't marque consciousness to me."

Moody said helium received a non-compliance missive successful the message from the metropolis connected June 11 oregon June 12. It stated a ailment had been made alleging his grass was longer than allowable heights of up to 15 centimetres, oregon six inches, and that helium had until June 14 to respond oregon record an appeal. 

The city's complaint-based strategy for unruly lawns gives residents 7 to 10 days aft a informing to mow it down. If the homeowner doesn't bash the mowing, metropolis workers volition bash it and measure for the labour costs. The metropolis tin besides instrumentality a homeowner to court.

Moody was confused, due to the fact that helium said he had conscionable chopped his lawn, including the boulevard, connected May 27. He checked the tract magnitude erstwhile helium got the announcement and estimated it was astir 2 inches, oregon 5 centimetres.

"So I conscionable ignored it," helium said.

LISTEN | East Elmwood nonmigratory questions timing of grass-cutting notice:

Then, connected June 17, different announcement arrived saying the metropolis would beryllium coming by the adjacent time for an inspection. Moody said helium called and emailed 311 but didn't perceive back.

On June 18, Moody's alarm strategy went off. He could spot connected a location surveillance camera strategy that a metropolis worker had entered his fenced-in backyard and had begun cutting his backmost lawn.

Moody said helium spoke to the idiosyncratic done the two-way talker system, and they said they were determination due to the fact that of "a fewer precocious patches connected the boulevard" that were excessively long.

"I asked ... 'Well, wherefore are you successful my backyard cutting my writer then?'" Moody told Information Radio host Marcy Markusa connected Monday.

A information of recorded video from his surveillance strategy showed a idiosyncratic successful a reflective vest weed-whacking his backyard.

WATCH | City idiosyncratic weed whacking Moody's tract June 18: 

Moody maintains his backmost tract was beneath the maximum allowable length.

"I don't cognize wherefore they were successful my backyard erstwhile they were complaining astir the boulevard to commencement disconnected with," said Moody. "It had each been chopped already."

Residents tin entreaty a non-compliance order. Because Moody missed the deadline, he's expecting a $250 measure for metropolis labour costs, positive an medication fee, to amusement up connected his spot taxes.

Coun. Janice Lukes (Waverley West), seat of the city's nationalist works board, said she isn't alert of Moody's lawsuit but said it seems "odd." 

The writer successful his backyard didn't look that high, she said aft viewing Moody's video.

"When I spot that video and I spot the idiosyncratic weed whacking the vegetation, which doesn't adjacent look adjacent genu height, I person to deliberation that determination was immoderate benignant of determination that was made that whitethorn not beryllium accurate," Lukes told Information Radio connected Tuesday.

"It doesn't look similar a large contented compared to what are large issues retired there."

Lukes said she has seen backyards reported with vegetation reaching up to six feet tall (ornamental writer oregon vegetation indispensable beryllium kept to 1 metre oregon 39 inches).

She emphasized that each yards, whether fenced oregon not, autumn nether the bylaw.

"Not each backyards person fences. Not each backyards person precocious fences. Not each beforehand yards person fences — so it's a instrumentality related to the spot itself — front, back, side," Lukes said.

"We unrecorded successful an municipality situation and we bash necessitate bylaws — not everyone agrees with them but it's portion of the deal." 

LISTEN | Public works seat addresses mowing dispute:

Moody supports the bylaw, though helium questions however it's been enforced successful his case.

"I person nary occupation with radical complaining if it's unsightly, but erstwhile you tin evidently spot from the pictures I've provided … it's not adjacent unsightly," helium said.

A spokesperson said the metropolis is reviewing Moody's case.

"Generally speaking a bylaw enforcement serviceman would reappraisal a spot betwixt a clip a ailment is received and issuing a non-compliance order," reads a connection from the city.

"There would request to beryllium grounds of a bylaw infraction astatine the clip of inspection for the bid to beryllium issued. The day shown connected the bid would typically beryllium the day of inspection."

Lukes encouraged Moody to scope retired to her office.

"I'll get to the bottommost of this due to the fact that that was benignant of funky what was going connected successful the backyard successful my opinion," Lukes said.