Nanaimo Pesticide Ban 2010

Council Bans Pesticide Use

Bylaw means homeowners must find other methods of controlling weeds by 2010

By Derek Spalding, Daily News April 22, 2009


Nanaimo lawn lovers will have to find alternate measures to eliminate weeds and unwanted vegetation by 2010, according to a bylaw that Nanaimo city councillors resurrected on Monday.
Environmental planner Rob Lawrence said he will hire a new employee to implement the program, which includes a public education component. The $25,000 position had been abandoned last year because of council's desire to reduce tax increases.

Nanaimo joins at least 14 other communities that have banned cosmetic pesticide use and joins at least 140 Canadian cities that have made similar bans. Quebec has already banned the use of pesticides and Ontario plans to do the same. The ban includes all chemicals used to control "plants and insects in lawns and gardens to enhance their appearance for non-essential reasons," according to last year's report from the city's environment committee. The move will force pesticide suppliers to adjust to a natural product, which one retail store worker said is not as effective.

Despite the trend to eliminate such pesticide use, the economic impact can be severe. U.S. Dow AgroSciences has threatened to sue the federal government under the North American Free Trade Agreement for the economic hardship caused by Quebec's ban on lawn pesticides containing 2,4-D.

"We have a year to let people know (the bylaw) is coming," said Lawrence. "We will start the education program as soon as we can and start working on the bylaw."
A city ban will certainly affect sales and make it difficult for store owners to adjust because the industry will not adjust as it would for a provincial or national ban, according to Jared Pagani, a store supervisor at Home Hardware.

"There are citrus- and vinegar-based products, but people aren't well aware of those," he said. "It will certainly impact sales, unless we can find something to accommodate the client."

DSpalding@nanaimodailynews.com


Critics question ban on pesticides

Chemicals nixed in war on weeds

By Derek Spalding, Daily News
May 4, 2009


Customers continue to buy pesticides from lawn and garden centres throughout Nanaimo, most of them unaware of the city's decision to ban chemicals used to kill weeds, insects and fungi. Once the regulations are introduced, likely by the end of this summer, Nanaimo residents have about one more year before staff implement the bylaw, allowing for an intensive education campaign to help lawn lovers transition to more ecological solutions.

Council members in April resurrected a pesticide ban that appeared to have died last year because of cost-cutting measures. The Canadian Cancer Society's campaign to get municipalities across the country to ban such chemicals instigated the resurrection, which received wide support from Nanaimo's politicians. Though there has been no direct evidence linking pesticides to diseases in humans, an increasing number of studies support such findings, according to health and environmental groups.

Nanaimo will join at least 18 other B.C. municipalities that have banned pesticides as the province, some believe, slowly builds toward a provincial ban, similar to those adopted in Quebec and Ontario. But such political decisions comes down to poorly planned public policy, according to pesticide proponents. Within Nanaimo, residents question why the laws target homeowners, while businesses owners, such those who operate golf courses, remain free to use whatever they like.

Professional lawn and garden care employees will also feel an impact, but most companies rarely use pesticides, while others have already transitioned to ecologically friendly products. Two business owners are already predicting the ban will hurt their business because organic products simply do not work as well.

"I started out 100% organic about five years ago, but because I was expected to bring home money, I switched to (selective pesticide use)," said Blake Howe, of Bumble Bee Lawn Care.
"I was losing half my clients after a year or two when the weeds return. If there is a ban, I will have to change my business."

Industry experts recently spoke out about municipal and provincial bans on pesticides in Canada. Quebec has already banned the use of pesticides and Ontario plans to do the same.
The federal government backed up Quebec when Dow AgroSciences threatened to sue under the North American Free Trade Agreement for the economic hardship caused by the province's ban on lawn pesticides containing 2,4-D. Business owners large and small will feel the impact.
Opponents of pesticides have argued that the chemicals are potentially harmful and therefore should be banned. They argue that regulators refuse to remove the chemicals off the market because of the economic impact.

Supporters, however, question the precautionary approach taken by health and environmental lobbyists because studies have not shown the connection between pesticide use and human disease.

Without the concrete evidence, some groups have turned to a plethora of supportive studies and public opinion, as in the 2008 Ipsos Reid poll conducted for the B.C. and Yukon division of the Canadian Cancer Society. That survey showed that most British Columbians supported provincial legislation to restrict pesticide use.

All-out bans, however, should not appear until the proof is in, according to Lorne Hepworth, president of Crop Life Canada, the trade association that represents manufacturers, developers and distributors of pesticides. Most communities introduce bans without consulting with a single pesticide expert, he said. Those officials subscribe to the pesticide scare that has grown in recent years.

"The irony of all this: The ban effects the same products that farmers use," he said. "So we have politics trumping good science as a basis for public safety and the environment."

Nanaimo lawn and garden professionals use very little pesticides, according to at least three local companies. Prowest Services owner Steve Clark said pesticides make up 1% of his business, but without the ability to use pesticides when all else fails, he has no tools to combat weeds.

"It won't bother us a whole lot, but our homeowners will go back to pulling out weeds by hand," Clark explained.

"The ban should be against homeowners who aren't certified, not against us, who are licensed."

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http://www.canada.com/Critics+question+pesticides/1561366/story.html