Top 25 Quotes by
Mayors on Pesticides
#25
Michael Elliott (Former Hudson Mayor):
It's the first piece of legislation that totally has banned
pesticides and I think there's going to be a lot of other
communities are going to follow suit. (Source: April 21, 1994, CTV
National News)
#24 Michael Elliott
was the mayor of
Hudson
when the ban was introduced. Elliot says he changed his mind after
hearing what he calls "horror stories". "It says on the back of the
package, 'If ingested, induce vomiting.' Now to me that means it's
dangerous." (Source: December 7, 2000, CBC News)
#23
Fredericton Mayor Les Hull,
says he's ready to consider a ban on pesticides. His remarks come a
day after the Supreme Court of Canada upheld the right of
municipalities to regulate pesticides. That will come as good news
to many people in the capital city. (Source: June 29, 2001, CBC
Radio)
#22
Fredericton Mayor Brad Woodside
said the use of pesticides is an important environmental issue. He
said it would be better, however, if the province made the decision
rather than leaving it up to each municipality. "Personally, I would
not have a problem with that," he said about a ban. "I have been
using organics on my property now for the last two or three years.
There is an alternative to pesticide and it works quite nicely."
(Source: March 21, 2007, The Fredericton Daily Gleaner)
#21
A motion council
passed last year that directs the initiation of a public process on
cosmetic pesticides. "Milton council values public input on a topic
of importance to many residents and businesses in
Milton,"
said
Mayor Gord Krantz.
"This is an opportunity for the public to share their thoughts on
this issue." (Source: March 9, 2007, Milton Canadian Champion)
#20
Chelsea
does not have a municipal
water system; residents get their water from artesian wells. "When
you live on wells, you don't want a lot of chemicals getting into
the groundwater", says
Mayor Judy Grant.
"I couldn't imagine anybody being happy to drink the water from a
well knowing their neighbour was using pesticides." (Source: May 22,
2001, CBC Radio One)
#19
Waterloo Mayor Lynne Woolstencroft
said Waterloo uses next to no pesticide on parks, but were recently
commended for the great condition of playing fields. Woolstencroft
welcomed the court decision and said she has already been contacted
by several people and committees eager for action. "I think it will
be better for air, water and for the little creatures, birds, small
children and cats." (Source: June 30, 2001, The Kitchener-Waterloo
Record)
#18
The bylaw prohibits
the use of pesticides, herbicides and other chemicals for cosmetic
purpose in Port Moody. It is the first such bylaw to be adopted in
Western Canada. Several municipalities are now following Port
Moody's lead by adopting similar legislation. The Greater Vancouver
Regional District (GVRD) is also considering a similar regulation.
"Port Moody is committed to sustainability through environmental
initiatives such as this," said
Port Moody Mayor Joe Trasolini.
(Source: March 27, 2006, City of Port Moody Press Release)
#17
Montreal mayoralty candidate Gerald Tremblay
says he'll ban the use of pesticides for aesthetic purposes if he's
elected. (Source: October 18 2001, CBC Radio 88.5 FM Live)
#16
But
Toronto's
Public Health Department and other physicians backed the ban. And so
did
Mayor David Miller.
"Pesticides are poisons," he insists. "They are a health hazard, and
we should minimize that health hazard as much as possible." (Source:
May 20, 2004, Pluse24)
#15
After the vote,
Toronto Mayor David Miller
said he was happy with council's decision. "It's a good bylaw," he
told reporters. "It's the right thing to do from a public health
point of view." (Source: May 21, 2004, Globe and Mail)
#14 Mayor Camille Belliveau
says
Shediac
town council will consider a ban on spraying lawn pesticides. "I
used to spray my own personal lawn and office and I stopped about
two years ago because when I saw the signs saying don't do this,
don't walk and I saw the poison sign, it started bothering me."
(Source: March 21, 2002, CBC News)
#13
"You can't do much
with education unless there is regulation and a bylaw," he said. "I
don't think it's fair to this community. If we're really going to be
serious about changing our environmental image, you have to do it
with leadership,"
Sarnia Mayor Mike Bradley
said. "What was done tonight is really the status quo." (Source:
June 20, 2006, Sarnia Obsever)
#12
The Urban Pest Management
Council of Canada says bans are unnecessary, costly and provide
little additional public health benefits. But,
Mayor Mike Bradley
holds an opposing view, saying we'll look back on the controversy a
decade from now and wonder what all the fuss was about. (Source:
February 28, 2007,
Sarnia
This Week)
#11
The House of Commons
environment committee concluded this summer that children are
particularly vulnerable to pesticides. The committee urged the
federal government to modernize its 30-year-old pesticide law,
specifically by applying today's more stringent standards to all
pesticides approved before 1995. The committee also supported
phasing out cosmetic use of pesticides. But the government has not
acted on these recommendations, and this upsets
Mayor Judy Grant of Chelsea, Que.
"With the election coming up, the government withdrew the law," she
says. "It doesn't surprise me. They copped out to the chemical
companies." (Source: November 17, 2000, Capital News Online)
#10
"I think the time
has come that we need to address this issue,"
Mayor Dave Ryan
said. "But the real issue is that the other levels of government
need to take action." Although
Pickering
can ban cosmetic use, Mayor Ryan said they can't stop stores from
selling the product. The latter would be up to other levels of
government. (Source: February 20, 2007, durhamregion.com)
#9
Hamilton Mayor Fred Eisenberger
wants to ban the cosmetic and non-essential use of pesticides in the
city. "(The idea) has been around for quite some time," Eisenberger
told members of the public works committee this week. "I'm for the
banning of unnecessary use of pesticides. We need to pass a bylaw."
(Source: January 19, 2007, Flamborough Review)
#8 City of Greater Sudbury's Mayor
David Courtemanche is
supportive. "I take the concerns of the Public Health Unit very
seriously. There is growing evidence that pesticides are a public
health hazard and municipalities are in a position to address that
issue through the development of not just a bylaw but programs and
policies that would support the reduction if not elimination of
pesticides in our community," said Mayor Courtemanche. (Source:
Northern Ontario.org http://tinyurl.com/2lwkgd)
#7
"I can't support
the bylaw in its current form," Mayor Karen
Farbridge said after last
night's city council meeting. "And I'm not convinced the current
(draft) bylaw we have addresses the health issue sufficiently for
me. I personally have always been very clear on it that I
would rather see an outright ban," she said." (Source: March 6,
2007,
Guelph
Mercury)
#6 Mayor Karen Farbridge
wants a bylaw drafted as soon as possible that will ban the cosmetic
use of pesticides in
Guelph.
"It's taken a long time," Farbridge said at a committee meeting
yesterday. "The goal now is to finally move forward." (Source: March
10, 2007, Guelph Mercury)
#5
As last night's
most outspoken member in favour of a ban,
Mayor Sylvia Sutherland
said not everyone will be responsible at first and stop using
cosmetic lawn care products. "We'll go through some agonies like we
did with the smoking bylaw, but we're winning," Sutherland said. "I
don't think any green lawn is worth the health of a person or a
pet." (Source: February 1, 2005, The
Peterborough
Examiner)
#4
"Environmental preservation and protection is a top priority for the
Town. Over the past several years, we have virtually eliminated the
use of pesticides on public lands," said
Oakville Mayor Rob Burton.
"This is another positive step forward in protecting the health of
our community." (Source: February 14, 2007, Town of Oakville Press
Release)
#3
"The bylaw is
working very well, costs us very little to maintain and grass is
still growing in Hudson," said the Former
Hudson, Que.,
mayor Michael Elliott,
who helped bring in Canada's first municipal pesticide ban. (Source:
November 22, 2002, The Ottawa Sun)
#2
Former Hudson mayor Michael Elliott
said his municipality
adopted the ban after several children complained of rashes and
breathing problems.
"I would
hope Ottawa would not be behind small towns like Chelsea and
Hudson," said Elliott.
(Source: November 9, 2005, The Ottawa Sun)
#1
"I've always
considered this whole issue a local issue, and I defended it even to
the highest court on the basis that we are a community and we have
the right to decide what we want in our environment in this
community," said
Hudson Mayor Stephen Shaar.
(Source: June 29, 2001, The Ottawa Citizen)
Community Web.
