During a quiet afternoon reading by the fireplace in our wonderful local library, a new friend and I wandered into an edifying discussion about bonsai. He has apparently been to Japan many times and his passionate hobby right here is bonsai.

I really only knew how to spell bonsai, but after our discussion, felt a real desire to learn more about this fascinating Japanese art form. And, why not ramble in The Lake Report?

Bonsai, with only a slight degree of creativity, can be related to our housing challenge right here in Niagara-on-the-Lake.

Just last week, my son Scott happened to send me an article from Vancouver’s online Daily Hive Urbanized, by guest author Harmon Moon: “Opinion: Vancouver is not a bonsai plant, so just let it grow.“

“It’s a whole new world out there, folks.” I was quickly pulled out of my Canadian housing crisis comfort zone, with a side order of bonsai.

For those not familiar, bonsai artists use shears to prune young saplings down to the desired size and shape. Future growth is planned and controlled.

Please allow me to quote liberally from Harmon Moon out on Canada’s left coast, in the Nov. 26, 2024 issue of Daily Hive.

We can make a clear and obvious comparison to how NOTL’s thinking about municipal growth has resembled Vancouver over the past many decades.

Sometime in our past, NOTL decided that the end goal was a perfectly manicured city.

Residents were tacitly promised access to quiet, low-rise houses, with unobstructed views of vineyards, sunsets, the escarpment and occasionally water.

Apartments were forbidden on much of the residentially zoned land, and planners feared large buildings might cast their shadows on adjacent residences.

To ensure perfectly designed neighbourhoods, BANANA (Build Absolutely Nothing Anywhere Near Anything) Republic types have reacted negatively to even suggestions of increased height or density.

The parallels between desirable Vancouver and desirable NOTL are obvious. Each year, many newcomers arrive, and the low rental housing vacancy rate persists.

The desire for non-single-family accommodation continues, so it behooves NOTL to somehow grow and densify.

Like bonsai, let’s plan our growth and appearance.

Not surprisingly, last year’s quite comprehensive housing survey indicated that a majority of NOTL seniors want to “age in place.”

We want to continue living without moving far away. We like living here. For many, it’s a matter of dollars and cents. Perhaps good common sense?

Around the world, millions of people love their quality of life in numerous cities like London and Paris, and very few of them live in single-family dwellings. If we want amenities like public transit, hospitals, schools and recreational facilities, we need population growth to pay the freight.

Gentle upzoning over the years would allow people to fill into modest apartment units rather than vying for space in a very limited number of single-family detached houses.

If we want to live in a great town, we must allow it to grow. Think bonsai, NOTL.

We must wholeheartedly join in a bonsai-like pruning process and let NOTL grow. Let it ramble!

Often well-developed acronyms help us to remember and understand.

From the very cool and liveable west end of Vancouver, Scott sends along four clever bonsai acronyms:

– Because Our Neighbourhood Stays As Is.

– Back Off! New Structures Are Intrusive.

– Bungalows Only?! No Skyscrapers Anywhere, Imbeciles.

– Because Our Nostalgia Stifles All Improvement.

Rambling over to Japan, let’s think bonsai planning for the future of housing in our Niagara.