Pesticide Polls and Surveys Across Canada
Province of Ontario:
Sept 4, 2008 - A poll conducted by Oracle
Poll Research has found strong public support for extending Ontario's
cosmetic pesticide ban to golf courses with nearly 7 out of 10
Ontarians agreeing that pesticide use on golf courses should be phased out.
For more information, please click
here.
A January 2007 survey conducted by Oraclepoll Research for Pesticide Free Ontario (PFO) and the Canadian Association of Physicians for the Environment (CAPE) found that 71 per cent of Ontarians support a provincial law prohibiting lawn and garden pesticides. According to an article in the Globe and Mail on February 26, 2007, supporters of a Ontario-wide ban, similar to Quebec's Pesticide Management Code, come from all parties. "Whether people are Conservative or Green, it's still a majority," Gideon Forman, Executive Diretor of CAPE said. "It shows it's not a partisan thing." The Oraclepoll results can be downloaded by clicking here.
On October 31, 2001, Oraclepoll Research Ltd. Released an Ontario-wide poll which indicated that 82 per cent of Ontario residents support municipal bylaws restricting the use of cosmetic pesticides on private residential property. Of the 27 per cent who use chemical pesticides 76 per cent said they would very likely stop using them it they were provided with methods on creating a weed free lawn and garden.
City of Ottawa: 72 per cent of Ottawa taxpayers support a bylaw to phase out the use of toxic lawn pesticides according to an Oraclepoll Research Limited poll released March 29, 2007 by the Canadian Cancer Society and the Canadian Association of Physicians for the Environment. Support for a pesticide bylaw is up from 61.9 per cent in 2002. In addition, 79 per cent indicated that lawn pesticides are a public health issue, while only 17 per cent said pesticides are a property-rights issue. Eighty-four per cent also believe lawn pesticides threaten the environment which is up from 77 per cent in 2005. Approximately 70 per cent of the people surveyed who live in rural areas believe pesticides present a threat to the environment, human or animal health. To view the Canadian Cancer Society's news release on the poll, please click here.
City of Ottawa: A survey, released on February 17, 2005 and conducted for the Canadian Association of Physicians for the Environment by Toronto's Oraclepoll Research, asked 525 property owners and renters whether they would support phasing out pesticides if they were offered alternatives. Findings: 65 per cent of residents support a ban on pesticides for residential property within the City of Ottawa.
City of Ottawa: A staff report tabled with Ottawa City Council in December 2002 stated that "61.9 per cent strongly or somewhat supported a by-law banning the use of pesticides on private lawns and gardens." Furthermore, a City of Ottawa opinion poll by Decima Research showed that Ottawa residents strongly or generally support (82 per cent) the City of Ottawa's pesticide-free policies on its sports fields and green spaces (Decima, November 2001). Also, the city's Ottawa 20/20: Charting a Course public consultation indicated significant positive support for banning the urban use of pesticides.
City of Toronto: Three public opinion polls indicated that between 70 and 80 per cent of Toronto residents support a pesticide by-law.
Regional Municipality of Kitchener - Waterloo: In a survey (September 12, 2005) conducted for Waterloo regional government, 81 per cent of 803 residents polled said they supported a proposed bylaw that would ban pesticides on lawns and gardens as a threat to public health. Previous surveys found 49 per cent support for a pesticide bylaw in 2003, and 64 per cent support in 2004.
Province of Québec: The July 2003 issue of L'Actualité published the results of a CROP (Centre de Recherche sur l'Opinion Publique) public opinion poll on page 15 which said that 87 per cent of Quebecers support the new Pesticide Code's calling for a pesticide ban in three years on private property across Québec.
City of Montreal: A poll (December 28, 2000) in Montreal showed that "a whopping 88.6 per cent of respondents said they would willingly stop using pesticides in and around their homes."
Maritimes: A poll commissioned by the Canadian Cancer Society and conducted by Corporate Research Associates Inc. in November 2007, surveyed 1,101 households in New Brunswick, Prince Edward Island and Nova Scotia. Of those surveyed, 69 per cent support a ban on the use of cosmetic pesticides, and 79 per cent believe pesticides used for lawn and garden maintenance have the potential to pose a health risk to people.
| Survey results (in per cent) |
| | Support ban | Do not use | Believe a health risk |
| Nova Scotia | 70 | 78 | 79 |
| New Brunswick | 69 | 80 | 78 |
| P.E.I. | 75 | 82 | 82 |
| Maritime average | 69 | 79 | 79 |
Province of Saskatchewan
According to an April 2008 public opinion poll conducted
by Ipsos Reid for the Canadian Cancer Society, nearly 7 out of ten
Saskatchewan residents believe pesticides pose a threat to their health and
would support a law phasing out the use of such chemicals used to keep lawns
and gardens looking good.
(source)
Province of British Columbia
A majority of B.C. residents support a call by the Canadian Cancer Society for new provincial legislation that would restrict the sale and use of cosmetic (non-essential) pesticides, according to an Ipsos Reid poll conducted for the
Society's B.C. and Yukon division. The findings of the poll were released on April 3, 2008 by the Society.
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76 per cent of the population believes cosmetic pesticides are a threat to their health
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Nearly 76 per cent support provincial legislation that would restrict pesticide use
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85 per cent with a lawn or garden say they would be willing to try alternatives
to pesticides
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99 per cent agree consumers have a right to know the ingredients in products
they purchase
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97 per cent would support provincial legislation requiring labeling of all products
that contain cancer-causing substances
City of Vancouver: Burnaby and New Westminster registered the strongest support with 89.9 per cent of respondents favouring restrictions on the use of lawn and garden pesticides on private property. The City of Vancouver was pegged at 81.1 per cent, followed by Surrey at 80.5 and 81.4 in the Tri-Cities. Support was lowest in Richmond at 72.3 percent The poll was conducted by the Mustel Group who interviewed 500 people in Greater Vancouver between October 1st and 9th, 2003. Results are considered accurate within +/- 4.4 percentage points 95 per cent of the time