January 24, 2011
More Canadians
protected from lawn pesticides
The
lack of adequate protection from unwanted
exposure to lawn pesticides at the federal and
provincial level has fueled a growing surge in
municipal pesticide ordinances designed to
enhance the protection of public health and the
environment. As of December 31, 2010 the
aggregate number of municipal by-laws in Canada
stood at 171. An
additional ten pesticide by-laws are at the
draft stage pending adoption.
Close
to 24 million Canadians, or 79.6% of Canada's
total population (based on the 2006 Census), are
benefiting from enhanced protection from
unwanted exposure to synthetic lawn and garden
pesticides. This figure includes the gold
standard province-wide protection provided under
Ontario's Cosmetic Pesticides Ban Act, 2008 and
Québec's Pesticide Management Code as well as
New Brunswick's and PEI's Pesticide Acts.
The following chart
summarizes the rapid increase in the number of
municipal pesticide bylaws across Canada (click on
chart for full size image):
July 27, 2010
88% of British
Columbians show support for a cosmetic lawn
pesticide ban
More than 8,000
comments, signatures on petitions or submissions
were received between December 2009 and the end of
February 2010 in response to the BC Ministry of
the Environment's request for comments on the
cosmetic use of pesticides in British Columbia.
A whopping 88% of
British Columbians' support banning the cosmetic
use of lawn pesticides in their province.
For more information,
please click here.
June 10, 2010
Ontario study
finds an 80% drop in toxic lawn pesticides found
in urban streams and creeks since the
province-wide pesticide ban
Staff from the
Ministry of Environment and Conservation
Authorities conducted a water quality monitoring
study of 10 urban streams and creeks in Ontario.
The study was conducted pre/post cosmetic
pesticide ban in Ontario, during the summer of
2008 and 2009. The study found a greater than 80%
reduction of the three most commonly used lawn
pesticides.
CHO is encouraged with
the findings, and praises the Ontario government
for banning the cosmetic use of lawn
pesticides. As a result, our environment is
thankfully cleaner, and safer as a result of the
pesticide ban!
For more information
on the study,
please click here for a summary of the test
results.
And for an audio recording of the news,
please click here.
May 4, 2010
Nova Scotia proposes
to ban the cosmetic use of pesticides for Spring
2011
On May 4th, the NDP
government of Nova Scotia introduced a bill to ban
the sale and use of non-essential pesticides
across the province. The ban would apply to
lawn care in 2011 and extended in 2012 to banning
their use on trees, ornamental shrubs and
flowers. For more information, please see:
Non-essential Pesticides Control Act (Bill
No. 61)
"Nova Scotia issued a
discussion paper and sought input from the public
over the winter on forbidding the use and sale of
non-essential chemicals for cosmetic lawn care
purposes. Nova Scotia's Health Minister Sterling
Belliveau said about 80 per cent of 1,700
submissions called for a ban." (Source: The
Canadian Press, May 4, 2010)
If passed, Nova Scotia
will join the provinces of Quebec, Ontario, New
Brunswick and Prince Edward Island in placing
restrictions against the unnecessary cosmetic use
of lawn and garden pesticides.
CHO Congratulates Nova
Scotia for realizing that banning the cosmetic use
of pesticides makes great sense. As Nova Scotia
Health Minister Sterling Belliveau states:
"Our
public consultation response on this was
overwhelmingly in favour of a ban.
Medical experts and Nova Scotians agree this
is the right solution for our province; it
will protect our environment and make life
better for families throughout the
province. Health Canada approves these
products for use, but they also state that
it is good practice to reduce or eliminate
any unnecessary exposure to pesticides."
Nova Scotia's Chief
Medical Officer of Health, Dr. Robert Strang
further stated:
"There
are many uses for pesticides and each use
needs to be looked at from a risk versus
benefit perspective... In regard to
cosmetic purposes, there are safe and
healthy alternative methods available, to
achieve the same result"
Maureen Summers, CEO of
the Canadian Cancer Society, supports the
legislation.
"Knowing
we're a province that has the highest
cancer rates in Canada, that we have to do
everything possible to reduce risk for
Nova Scotians."
Chris Benjamin of the
Ecology Action Centre is generally pleased with
the proposed legislation:
"It
sounds like a lot of what we want ,,,
banning the sale is a huge step and
extending the ban to the whole province is
a huge step as well."
For more information,
please visit the following links:
The Nova Scotia Government press release,
CTVglobemedia,
The Halifax Herald, CBC
News,
Nova Scotia Pests and Pesticides website
April 8, 2010
Pesticide Bylaw List
Updated
The lack of adequate
protection from unwanted exposure to lawn
pesticides at the federal and provincial level has
fueled a growing surge in municipal pesticide
ordinances designed to enhance the protection of
public health and the environment. The aggregate
number of municipal by-laws in Canada currently
stands at 166. An additional thirteen pesticide
by-laws are at the draft stage pending
adoption.
Over 23 million
Canadians, or 77% of Canada's total population
(based on the 2006 Census), are benefiting from
enhanced protection from unwanted exposure to
synthetic lawn and garden pesticides. This figure
includes the gold standard province-wide
protection provided under Ontario's Cosmetic
Pesticides Ban Act, 2008 and Québec's Pesticide
Management Code as well as New Brunswick's
Pesticides Control Act.
For the current
pesticide bylaw list, please
click here.
August 25, 2009
BC to consult on new
cosmetic chemical pesticides protections
British Columbia is
moving towards implementing cosmetic pesticide
protections. The 39th parliament Speech from
the Throne announced on August 25, 2009 that the
government will: "recognize those working to
safeguard people and communities around our
province. British Columbians will be
consulted on new statutory protections to further
safeguard our environment from cosmetic chemical
pesticides."
CHO encourages British
Columbia to implement a strong province-wide
cosmetic pesticide ban.
Sources: BC's
39th Speech from the Throne
and News
Release from Office of the Premier
June 19, 2009
New Brunswick to ban
the cosmetic use of pesticides
The government of New
Brunswick is banning the use and sale of 200
over-the-counter lawn-care pesticides starting
later this year.
Moncton East Liberal
MLA Chris
Collins, who has been advocating for a
pesticide ban for years stated that:
"I
think (the changes) will substantially
reduce the amount of tonnage of toxins and
distribution of product where children
play. I think it really is going to be
effective and will make a difference in
the health of New Brunswickers"
Gideon Forman, of the
Canadian Association of Physicians for the
Environment, said "Doctors are very pleased New
Brunswick is banning the pesticide 2,4-D,
a chemical linked to cancer and neurological
illness." However, New Brunswick's ban doesn't go
far enough. Forman said New Brunswick should
follow the lead of Ontario, which bans the use of
spot-spraying. Chemicals used in spot-spraying can
travel into water and harm people and animals.
For more information,
please see CBC
News, The
Daily Gleaner, the Telegraph-Journal
and the Moncton
Times & Transcript.
April 22, 2009
Happy Earth Day -
Ontario-wide pesticide ban now law!
CHO celebrates Earth Day, as today marks the
commencement of Ontario's
province-wide cosmetic pesticide use ban.
A lot of hard work and dedication from pro-health
individuals and organizations helped make today
possible. Congratulations to all!
In other news, New Democrat
MP Pat Martin (Winnipeg Centre) just
introduced in the House of Commons a Private
Members' Bill
C-363, which would amend the Pest Control
Products Act to place a moratorium on the cosmetic
use of chemical pesticides in homes, gardens and
on recreational facilities across Canada. If Bill
C-363, is passed, the moratorium would take
effect on Earth Day, 2010 and be in place until
scientific evidence can prove pesticide use is
safe.
"Why
should we have to prove that a product is
harmful before it is taken off the market?
This bill puts the onus on the
manufacturers to prove that their product
is safe before we'll allow them to sell
it. Until they do, it's off the shelves."
Pat Martin, MP Winnipeg Centre
We at CHO couldn't
agree more with Pat Martin, and we support his
Bill.
April 16, 2009
City of Ottawa
offers pesticide-free gardening seminars
Ottawa Public Health is
now offering a series of free workshops with
information on how to care for lawns and gardens
naturally. Come out and get the facts on
beautiful lawns and gardens without the use of
pesticides. For more information, please
click here.
March 23, 2009
Chronology of
Federal Pesticide Regulation in Canada
Last year Mr. Pat
Martin, MP for Winnipeg Centre, captured the
current state of federal pesticide regulation by
stating:
"We
also believe and are calling for the
nationwide ban on the cosmetic,
non-essential, non-agricultural use of
pesticides. The provinces of Ontario and
Quebec have now done it but that is only
in the absence of leadership and direction
from the federal government that should
have done it without having to wait for
other jurisdictions to do its regulatory
job for it."
For a chronology of
Canada's Pest Control Products Act and actions
towards banning the cosmetic use of pesticides,
please click here.
Also, click here for a chronology on the actions of
Canada's major retailers concerning pest control
products.
March 16, 2009
EPA has been
petitioned to cancel all registration of 2,4-D
Beyond
Pesticides submitted comments to the US
Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) in support
of a petition to cancel all registrations of
2,4-D. This widely used herbicide is linked
to harmful health and environmental effects.
To download the comments, please click here.
March 4, 2009
Ontario government
passes strong regulations supporting the
Cosmetic Pesticide Ban Act
The Coalition for a
Healthy Ottawa is pleased with regulations passed
by the Ontario government today to support
provincial legislation banning the sale and use of
cosmetic pesticides. Ontario's cosmetic
pesticides ban takes effect April 22, 2009.
Over 250 products will be banned for sale and more
than 95 pesticide ingredients will be banned for
cosmetic uses (see list here).
The Ministry of Environment's press release can be
viewed here.
Supporting quotes:
-
David
Suzuki Foundation -
"We congratulate the
Ontario government for raising the bar
on protecting people and the environment
from needless pesticide exposure," says
Dr. David Suzuki
-
Pesticide
Free Ontario --
"With
this legislation, the Ontario Liberal
government is showing that it clearly
understands the principles of a green
economy – that you can protect both
health and the environment and create
jobs,"
-
Registered
Nurses' Association of Ontario
- "The
Premier and the Minister of the
Environment are to be congratulated
for heeding the call of health and
environmental organizations.
Pesticides are poisonous and children
right across the province will be
better protected thanks to this
announcement"
-
Canadian
Association of Physicians for the
Environment - "Ontario
is a true leader. There is nothing
like this anywhere else on the
continent," says CAPE Executive
Director Gideon Forman
-
Canadian
Environmental Law Association
-- they are "celebrating passage of Ontario
's bold and visionary leadership in
banning the use and sale of pesticides
for cosmetic purposes"
-
Canadian
Cancer Society - "We
congratulate the Ontario government
for passing regulations that will
provide all Ontarians with strong
protection from the health risks
associated with the use of cosmetic
pesticides..."
2008
Year In Review
Ottawa lags while 15 more municipalities
lead with pesticide bylaws in 2008
Case Western Reserve University environmental
history professor Ted Steinberg and author of "American
Green: The Obsessive Quest for the Perfect Lawn,"
said there is "an anti-perfect lawn revolution
under way in Canada. "
As of December 31, 2008, there are 152 pesticide by-laws
across Canada, with Halifax, Montreal,
Toronto, Hamilton and Vancouver leading the way.
Calgary also has a draft pesticide bylaw on the
books. There are over 15.4 million Canadians, or
48.9% of Canada's total population (based on the
2006 Census), benefiting from enhanced protection
from unwanted exposure to synthetic lawn and
garden pesticides. On November 17, 2008, the
City of Thunder Bay became municipality #152 to
adopt a pesticide by-law in Canada (and #35 in
Ontario). The vote at city council was unanimous.
In Ontario the number
of municipalities that have adopted private
property pesticide bylaws has increased by seven
to thirty-five (35) despite the pending
province-wide pesticide ban. Meanwhile Ottawa
continues to sit in the back of the bus and let
others lead. Ottawa's image as a community health
prevention leader has totally tanked on this
specific issue.
Those from outside of
Ottawa seem to agree that Ottawa City Council is
certainly not leading the pack on
pesticides. Halifax Councillor, Bob Harvey
offered the following comment in a CBC interview
with Rita Celli on October 27, 2005 about Ottawa's
failed attempt to adopt a pesticide by-law:
"Well
I was surprised and dismayed by that I
didn't realize until today. I'd assume
that five years after we went through this
debate and discussion that, you know,
enlightenment would have spread to the
nation's capital."
A headline in
The News EMC (Ottawa West) on September
27, 2007 read:
'Suzuki
lambastes Ottawa on pesticides. Says
mayor 'so ignorant he doesn't know he's
ignorant'.
The headline referred
to the fact that Ottawa City Council has yet
to follow in the footsteps of more than 100 other
Canadian municipalities that have banned cosmetic
pesticide use and David Suzuki's response, having
meet with Mr. O'Brien to discuss this issue, to an
audience of over 1000 attending the Canadian
Public Health Association annual conference in
Ottawa.
Dr. Robin Walker,
former Medical Director of Critical Care at the
Children's Hospital of Eastern Ontario had this to
say about Ottawa's fumbling on pesticides:
"City
Council accepted industry propaganda over
medical science and once again abrogated
their responsibility to protect the health
of all the citizens of Ottawa. The
majority of our City Council today chose
political expediency over what is right
for the community, and put lawns at the
top of their priorities and kids at the
bottom."
Read press
release here
The following chart
summarizes the rapid increase in the number of
municipal pesticide bylaws across Canada (click on
chart for full size image):
News:
