Halloween display pulled in Puslinch after town demands permit

An expensive and elaborate festive display is no longer visible in the Township of Puslinch, Ont., after the homeowner decided to pull the plug because of a permit fee.

“They just seem to be selectively applying this bylaw to whom they see fit,” homeowner Shawn Gusz said.

Gusz normally sets up the display in front of his Puslinch home between Halloween and Christmas.

“On any given year there was $30,000 to $40,000 dollars’ worth of props, lighting, equipment, projectors, all that stuff," Gusz said.

Last year – the township passed a bylaw, to regulate publicized displays on private property. Gusz was forced to hire off duty police officers to manage it over Christmas.

This year, a $150 fee was added for anyone wanting a permit.

The township said the display is often advertised online.

“The Township Publicized Display bylaw is not intended to regulate holiday decorations. It regulates displays that are publicized (advertised) inviting the public to attend or displays that could reasonably be expected to create nuisance impacts,” Puslinch Mayor James Seeley said in an email.

The bylaw looks to avoid displays that increase pedestrian or vehicle traffic that interferes with roads, as well as any illegal parking. Some neighbours said they've seen issues like that in years past.

“Literally it backs up the traffic sometimes to the highway. Which stops residents from trying to enter and exit the neighbourhood,” neighbour John Holford said.

Shawn Gusz outside of his Puslinch home on Oct. 25, 2023. (CTV News/Colton Wiens)

Gusz said this year he was planning a scaled down version, but out of principle he isn’t willing to pay.

“It’s literally the fact that they wanted me to pay $150 to decorate like anyone else with just regular decorations. No show, no lights, no audio, just regular decorations,” Gusz said.

Normally Gusz collects donations from those who come to view. He said it has helped raise tens of thousands of dollars for local groups, like the Guelph Humane Society, Beginnings Family Services of Guelph, and the Aberfoyle School.

But for some living nearby, it causes too much concern.

“It affects the children that want to walk through the neighborhood on Halloween, because it’s extremely dangerous and it’s dark. We don’t have sidewalks out here. The lighting is very minimal,” Holford said.

An empty concrete block where Shawn Gusz' projector used to sit is seen on Oct. 25, 2023. (Colton Wiens/CTV Kitchener)

Gusz said he has received a lot of support from neighbours, offering to pay some of the fees.

While he has no plans to create displays this year, he said it's not out of the question in the future.

“Once there’s a regime change, I’m convinced that we’ll probably be able to do it again,” Gusz said.