March 23, 2009
There are currently no Action Alerts
To view CHO's June 8, 2008 submission to the Ontario government concerning the needed changes to Bill 64, please click here.
November 7, 2008
Ontario Gov't Asks Ontarians To Comment On Lawn Pesticide Ban Details
The province is asking Ontarians to comment on the specifics of its
cosmetic pesticides ban.
In particular, the public is being asked to comment on:
- the proposed lists of pesticides (products and ingredients) banned
for use and banned or restricted for sale,
- the rules for pesticide use on golf courses,
- the exceptions to the ban for public health or safety reasons.
Comments can be sent online here.
A draft regulation containing the specifics is posted on the Environmental
Registry here (No. 010-5080), and can also be found on the
ministry's website at www.ene.gov.on.ca/en/land/pesticides/index.php. Comments
will be accepted until December 22, 2008. The government will consider all
comments before finalizing the regulation, expected to occur in spring 2009.
For more information, please click here.
May 4, 2008
Dear CHO supporters,
We need your help! Please contact your local MPP and also the Ministry of the Environment to ensure that Bill 64 - The Cosmetic Pesticide Ban Act, 2008 - will be made stronger!
According to Samuel Trosow, Associate Professor of law at the University of Western Ontario, the 32 municipal pesticide by-laws in Ontario may be threatened by the Ontario Government's new province-wide pesticide ban Bill -- that while well intentioned, is fundamentally flawed as it is drafted.
Section 7.1 (5) of the Bill states:
"A municipal by-law is inoperative if it addresses the use, sale, offer for sale or transfer of a pesticide that may be used for a cosmetic purpose."
This express preemption of local by-laws is not necessary. Municipal by-laws can co-exist with provincial measure so long as there are no direct conflicts, and there is clear law defining what constitutes such a conflict. It's important to have a local by-law on the books even if there is a similar ban because the city is in a much better position to be conducting enforcement and education about the by-law.
Please write your member of provincial parliament that the province-wide pesticide legislation should not undermine any existing municipal by-laws, and should explicitly permit municipalities to enact their own, more restrictive bylaws if desired, as is, for example, allowed in the Province of Quebec.
Furthermore, Bill 64's open-ended exemption for "other prescribed uses" of pesticides is gaping loophole and should be closed. As the Bill is written now, the Minister could, for example, add exemptions such as weed infestations and the like. It is therefore crucial that any exemptions be narrow and very specifically defined and that overall policy decisions be determined by the elected legislature and not delegated to the provincial bureaucracy. Bill 64 as drafted fails to meet these criteria.
To read Samuel Trosow entire article about the current weaknesses of Bill 64, please click here.
Email, phone or fax your local MPP and also the Ministry of the Environment with your concerns:
Local MPPs for Ottawa are:
The Honorable Dalton McGuinty; Ottawa South - dmcguinty.mpp.co@liberal.ola.org
Tel: 613-736-9573 Fax: 613-736-7374
Phil McNeely; Ottawa--Orléans: pmcneely.mpp@liberal.ola.org
Tel: 613-834-8679 Fax: 613-834-7647
Madeleine Meilleur; Ottawa--Vanier mmeilleur.mpp.co@liberal.ola.org
Tel: 613-744-4484 Fax: 613-744-0889
Yasir Naqvi; Ottawa Centre ynaqvi.mpp@liberal.ola.org
Tel: 613-722-6414 Fax: 613-722-6703
Jim Watson; Ottawa West--Nepean jwatson.mpp@liberal.ola.org
Tel: 613-721-8075 Fax: 613-721-5756
For a full list of MPPs, click here.
Archives (Older Action Alerts):
January 2008
Please tell the Ontario Government to ban lawn pesticides
Dear Friend,
As you know, Ontario has promised to enact a ban on lawn and garden pesticides that would protect 12 million Canadians from toxic lawn chemicals. If the legislation passes, it will be a huge step forward for public health. However, as you can imagine, the chemical industry is fighting it every step of the way.
Would you take a moment, right now, to send a quick on-line message to the Environment Ministry to support the pesticide ban? All you need to do is click here.
The deadline for comments is February 17, 2008.
The Ministry of the Environment's press release is located here.
Environmental Sensitivities Voluntary Registry
The City of Ottawa has set up a registry to notify people with environmental sensitivities of adulticiding for West Nile Virus near their homes. For more information, please click here.
Community Web.
Mayor Bob Chiarelli 
Georges Bedard
