Support a Pesticide Free Ontario - We Need Your Help
May 8, 2008 by Jan Hall
To Members and Supporters of a Pesticide Free Ontario:
On April 22, 2008, Ontario’s Cosmetic Pesticides Ban Act was introduced for first reading. It is imperative that you submit your comments before May 22, 2008 to the Environmental Registry to ensure that the legislation and regulations will most effectively protect human and environmental health.
Please read the EBR Registry Number:Â 010-3348 here.
Complete the form online.
The key points to emphasize are:
1. Overall, I strongly support the ban on lawn pesticide use and sales.
2. The only exemptions should be to protect public health. There should be no exemptions for golf courses and “other prescribed uses”.
3. The only allowed products/active ingredients for both commercial and home use should be based on the accepted list of municipal bylaws as follows:
- A product that uses pheromones to lure pests, sticky media to trap pests or “quick-kill” traps for vertebrate species considered pests, such as mice and rats.
- A product that is or contains only the following active ingredients: a soap, a mineral oil, also called “dormant or horticultural oil”; silicon dioxide, also called “diatomaceous earth”; Biological pesticides, including Bt (Bacillus thuringiensis) and nematodes, Borax, also called “boric acid” or “boracic acid”; Ferric phosphate; Acetic acid; Fatty acids; Sulphur; or Corn gluten meal.
4. The provincial ban should still allow municipalities to pass more restrictive bylaws, as stated by Premier McGuinty when the legislation was introduced.
[...] Oxanna indicated it is very important that people send comments in to the Environmental Registry to ensure that the legislation and regulations will most effectively protect human and environmental health. The form can be completed online here. For more information on what to write, read this post. [...]