Post by Dean Robinson on Oct 26, 2006 10:21:36 GMT -5
Cosmetic Pesticides in Canada: A Year in Review
Nancy Bradshaw, Education Coordinator for Women's College Hospital’s Environmental Health Clinic reports on the campaign to limit pesticide use in Canada.
This has been both an exciting and exasperating year in Canada for those trying to minimize pesticides in their communities.
In June, 2001 the Supreme Court upheld a ruling that grants municipalities across Canada the right to ban cosmetic pesticide use on public and private property. The judgement endorsed the ‘precautionary principle’- a concept in international law arguing that it is better to be safe than sorry. Since the ruling, many more municipalities are seeking to ban cosmetic use of pesticides.
Municipal Battles
This decision has created a ‘turf war’ (pun intended) with the pesticide industry and some citizens at one end and environmentalists, health care professionals, and other citizens at the other end. A recent poll conducted by Oracle Research indicated that 82 percent of Canadians support laws restricting the use of pesticides in their neighborhoods. Several health organizations have come out in favour of banning the cosmetic use of pesticides including the Registered Nurses Association of Ontario, the Ontario College of Family Physicians, Toronto Public Health, the Ontario Public Health Association and the Canadian Cancer Society. Their argument is that health risks from pesticides outweigh the ‘benefits’ of cosmetic pesticide use.
Health risks associated with pesticides may include birth defects and cancer, particularly in children. (The City of Toronto has an excellent selection of information about the potential health effects of pesticides). However, the pesticide industry says that the ban is an over reaction and warns communities about lowered real estate values and insect infestations. This has resulted in drawn out battles at municipal meetings. In Toronto this past May, the chemical pesticide companies have outnumbered citizens and health and environmental representatives by approximately 2:1, according to Rich Whate, Toxics Program Coordinator at the Toronto Environmental Alliance (TEA).
On the Federal Scene
On the federal front, in March 2002, the Federal Health Minister, Anne McLellan, ruled against recommendations made by a Standing Committee on the Environment to phase out cosmetic use of pesticides within five years. She has decided to revise the Pest Control Products Act (PCPA), which registers all pesticides permitted for use in Canada. The revisions will include: a scientific review of pesticides, some not tested for the past 30 years; an automatic review of pesticides every 15 years; increased margins of safety to account for health risks to pregnant women, infants, children, women & seniors; and more inspections and higher fines for violations.
While this decision is a step in the right direction, some environmental groups, such as the Sierra Club of Canada and the Canadian Environmental Law Association, and others, such as the Canadian Labour Congress, say it does not go far enough. The Sierra Club of Canada, has stated that the federal government is letting other levels of government carry too much of the burden. To make the bill workable they suggest a fast track approval process for lower risk alternatives, acceptance of the precautionary principle as an operating force and movement toward reduced reliance on pesticides and emphasis on sustainable farming practices rather than focusing on the registration of products.
Meanwhile, Loblaws has joined the organic gardening movement and announced that its 440 garden centres will go ‘chemical pesticide free’ by 2003.
The Experiences of Pesticide Limiting Communities
So, what’s to make of all the increasing enthusiasm for pesticide-free lawns and gardens? Perhaps the best place to look is in Quebec and Halifax, where bans have been in place for two or more years.
Chelsea, Quebec adopted the ban over 3 years ago. According to a recent article by the Nova Scotia Allergy and Environmental Health Association (NSAEHA), the real estate market is booming and there has been no major outbreak of noxious weeds or insect infestation. In fact, people have moved to Chelsea because of its environmental reputation.
The NSAEHA also reports that a recent corporate survey of Halifax Regional Municipality indicated that less than 5 percent were opposed to the pesticide restrictions and 85 percent are interested in alternative gardening methods. A local environmental group, Ratepayers Against Toxins, (RATE) has said that they have ‘received calls from residents thanking us, telling us for the first time in years they did not have to leave their homes to avoid pesticides.’
What you can do
So, what can you do if you want to go pesticide-free? First, wean your lawn ‘off drugs’.
Tips include:
* Cut the grass frequently and mow high, so the grass is kept at about 3 inches
(7cm)
* Keep grass clippings on the lawn
• Top dress your lawn with a thin layer of compost in September
* Water to about an inch of water once weekly, rather than small amounts daily
* De-thatch by raking your lawn in late spring or early summer
* Re-seed sparse or bare spots mid-August to mid-September with hearty grasses such as kentucky bluegrass, fine fescue or perennial ryegrass
Your lawn may not look ‘perfect’, particularly when you first stop using pesticides, but it will look better as it starts to get healthier and the quality of the soil improves.
For more tips on reducing or eliminating pesticide use see the detailed factsheets provided by the Northwest Coalition for Alternatives to Pesticides. The CBC also recently produced a nice summary on pesticide alternatives for lawn care.
Written by Nancy Bradshaw. This article first appeared in Environmental News, the newsletter of Women’s College Hospital's Environmental Health Clinic,
Nancy Bradshaw, Education Coordinator for Women's College Hospital’s Environmental Health Clinic reports on the campaign to limit pesticide use in Canada.
This has been both an exciting and exasperating year in Canada for those trying to minimize pesticides in their communities.
In June, 2001 the Supreme Court upheld a ruling that grants municipalities across Canada the right to ban cosmetic pesticide use on public and private property. The judgement endorsed the ‘precautionary principle’- a concept in international law arguing that it is better to be safe than sorry. Since the ruling, many more municipalities are seeking to ban cosmetic use of pesticides.
Municipal Battles
This decision has created a ‘turf war’ (pun intended) with the pesticide industry and some citizens at one end and environmentalists, health care professionals, and other citizens at the other end. A recent poll conducted by Oracle Research indicated that 82 percent of Canadians support laws restricting the use of pesticides in their neighborhoods. Several health organizations have come out in favour of banning the cosmetic use of pesticides including the Registered Nurses Association of Ontario, the Ontario College of Family Physicians, Toronto Public Health, the Ontario Public Health Association and the Canadian Cancer Society. Their argument is that health risks from pesticides outweigh the ‘benefits’ of cosmetic pesticide use.
Health risks associated with pesticides may include birth defects and cancer, particularly in children. (The City of Toronto has an excellent selection of information about the potential health effects of pesticides). However, the pesticide industry says that the ban is an over reaction and warns communities about lowered real estate values and insect infestations. This has resulted in drawn out battles at municipal meetings. In Toronto this past May, the chemical pesticide companies have outnumbered citizens and health and environmental representatives by approximately 2:1, according to Rich Whate, Toxics Program Coordinator at the Toronto Environmental Alliance (TEA).
On the Federal Scene
On the federal front, in March 2002, the Federal Health Minister, Anne McLellan, ruled against recommendations made by a Standing Committee on the Environment to phase out cosmetic use of pesticides within five years. She has decided to revise the Pest Control Products Act (PCPA), which registers all pesticides permitted for use in Canada. The revisions will include: a scientific review of pesticides, some not tested for the past 30 years; an automatic review of pesticides every 15 years; increased margins of safety to account for health risks to pregnant women, infants, children, women & seniors; and more inspections and higher fines for violations.
While this decision is a step in the right direction, some environmental groups, such as the Sierra Club of Canada and the Canadian Environmental Law Association, and others, such as the Canadian Labour Congress, say it does not go far enough. The Sierra Club of Canada, has stated that the federal government is letting other levels of government carry too much of the burden. To make the bill workable they suggest a fast track approval process for lower risk alternatives, acceptance of the precautionary principle as an operating force and movement toward reduced reliance on pesticides and emphasis on sustainable farming practices rather than focusing on the registration of products.
Meanwhile, Loblaws has joined the organic gardening movement and announced that its 440 garden centres will go ‘chemical pesticide free’ by 2003.
The Experiences of Pesticide Limiting Communities
So, what’s to make of all the increasing enthusiasm for pesticide-free lawns and gardens? Perhaps the best place to look is in Quebec and Halifax, where bans have been in place for two or more years.
Chelsea, Quebec adopted the ban over 3 years ago. According to a recent article by the Nova Scotia Allergy and Environmental Health Association (NSAEHA), the real estate market is booming and there has been no major outbreak of noxious weeds or insect infestation. In fact, people have moved to Chelsea because of its environmental reputation.
The NSAEHA also reports that a recent corporate survey of Halifax Regional Municipality indicated that less than 5 percent were opposed to the pesticide restrictions and 85 percent are interested in alternative gardening methods. A local environmental group, Ratepayers Against Toxins, (RATE) has said that they have ‘received calls from residents thanking us, telling us for the first time in years they did not have to leave their homes to avoid pesticides.’
What you can do
So, what can you do if you want to go pesticide-free? First, wean your lawn ‘off drugs’.
Tips include:
* Cut the grass frequently and mow high, so the grass is kept at about 3 inches
(7cm)
* Keep grass clippings on the lawn
• Top dress your lawn with a thin layer of compost in September
* Water to about an inch of water once weekly, rather than small amounts daily
* De-thatch by raking your lawn in late spring or early summer
* Re-seed sparse or bare spots mid-August to mid-September with hearty grasses such as kentucky bluegrass, fine fescue or perennial ryegrass
Your lawn may not look ‘perfect’, particularly when you first stop using pesticides, but it will look better as it starts to get healthier and the quality of the soil improves.
For more tips on reducing or eliminating pesticide use see the detailed factsheets provided by the Northwest Coalition for Alternatives to Pesticides. The CBC also recently produced a nice summary on pesticide alternatives for lawn care.
Written by Nancy Bradshaw. This article first appeared in Environmental News, the newsletter of Women’s College Hospital's Environmental Health Clinic,