Kitchener to insure community gardens for 2018 growing season

The City of Kitchener wants all community gardens to be insured for the 2018 growing season and is working with a local insurance broker to underwrite a policy that would provide the necessary coverage.

"We aren't introducing this as a response to any issues that have happened or anything like that," Joshua Joseph, supervisor of the neighbourhood development office, told CBC News. "We just want to be proactive."

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Joseph and his colleague Denise McGoldrick will submit a report, which mentions the new insurance requirement, to the city's community and infrastructure services committee Monday. 

The report says insurance coverage "is necessary to protect the city and the gardeners themselves," and that the policy will ensure that "gardeners are adequately protected to participate in preparing and maintaining the garden and play a more active role in using tools at the garden to make repairs and upgrades as needed."

Potential dangers

"There are concerns, right, in using tools and equipment and things that could be potentially dangerous if you don't have coverage," Joseph said.

"We want to make sure people are covered, and we also want to just allow them to use more of the tools that they want to use. Maybe in the past they might have used those things, but now they're able to do so under the scope of an insurance policy that provides them with coverage."

It's not like we're going to come in after the fact and necessarily tell people that now they suddenly have to pay for insurance.- Joshua Joseph

Joseph said the issue of insurance came up in August, during a workshop with members of the Kitchener gardening committee. 

The city has since been working with an insurance broker to develop a policy that will cover the unique needs of community gardeners. 

The staff report is recommending that all new and pre-existing gardens on city property be insured under the new policy. 

Also, Joseph said the cost of insuring a garden — which he estimated would be about $4 per plot — would be covered by the city. 

"It's not like we're going to come in after the fact and necessarily tell people that now they suddenly have to pay for insurance," he said. "In the grand scheme of all the costs, it's really not a huge cost for the benefit it provides."

The details of the policy, including what coverage it will provide, have yet to be determined. However, Joseph said the policy will be ready in time for the 2018 growing season.

New Community Garden Grant

The City of Kitchener has also made some fine changes to the way it funds new community gardens.

Joshua Joseph said the goal is to help up to six gardens get off the ground each year: a maximum of three on city property and a maximum of three on private property.

New gardens on city property are eligible for up to $1,000 toward capital and/or equipment costs, and in-kind services, such as water connections and soil testing.

New gardens on private property are only eligible for up to $1,000 toward capital and/or equipment costs.​