Pesticide Ban Being Drafted - Ottawa also call for development of public education campaign
Subject: Pesticide Ban Being Drafted....................
Date: Sat, 6 Oct 2001 09:33:21 -0400
From: Stephen Tvedten <steve@getipm.com>
Organization: Get Set Inc. (www.getipm.com)To: Paul Helliker <phelliker@cdpr.ca.gov>
Director, State of California, Department of Pesticide Regulationcc: Christine Whitman whitman.christine@epa.gov
Dear Mr. Helliker, I thought you might like to read a Friday, October 5, 2001article from The Ottawa Citizen entitled: Pesticide Ban Being Drafted - Ottawa also call for development of public education campaign by Carolynne Wheeler.
The days of using chemical to kill weeds and grubs on your lawn may be numbered after a city hall committee asked staff to come up with a draft by-law limiting their use, and a public education campaign on alternatives.
"At last, we're started! I think it's great," said Bay Ward Councillor Alex Cullen, who has championed the case since the Supreme Court, earlier this year, upheld a ban on cosmetic pesticides on private property in Hudson, Que.
City staff are expected to come back next spring with a draft by-law governing the use of pesticides on private property, as well as a schedule for public consultation and an education program on natural alternatives to pesticides.
Exceptions will be made for agricultural use and for noxious weeds, the destruction of which is legally required.
The city's health, recreation and social services committee heard more than 40 public delegations on the issue, including a presentation from the Ottawa Environment Coalition, comprising 11 lawn care companies.
Coalition chairman Thom Bourne, of lawn care company Nutri-lawn, had six boxes and four packets of letters from company clients, who were asked for their opinion and responded to support careful, limited use of pesticides.
"A lot of people will give up on their landscape," he said arguing it hasn't worked in Chelsea and won't work here either. "I'm really worried about the costs to owners of replacing sections of lawn."
However, landscaper Joanie Flynt said her company has operated for 22 years without pesticides, and says her winter courses on chemical-free landscaping have shot up in popularity.
"I would like you to base your decision on uncertainty," she told councillors yesterday, arguing that pesticides have been linked to a wide range of health problems and the disappearance of plants and animals. "If you feel some nagging doubt that one could have influenced the other to even the smallest degree, then please err on the side of caution."
The committee also heard from residents worried about the impact of pesticides on their health, and the health of their children - concerns which medical officer of health Robert Cushman said are legitimate.
"They're called pesticides. If they make cockroaches shake and seizure and die, chances are they do the same to you and me," he said. Though pesticides exposure is thought to be linked to increased cancer rates, miscarriages and delayed neurological development in children, he cautioned there is no medical research which sets a threshold for exposure.
The cost of the bylaw will be decided for the 2002 budget, so a new bylaw could be in place by next fall or spring 2003. It may be delayed somewhat by public consultation. Well Mr. Helliker, more and more people are discovering the real dangers that exist because of their reliance on your "registered" pesticide POISONS! There are literally thousands of safe and far more effective unregistered (food-grade and.or GRAS) alternatives - when will it be "legal" to use them to actually control pest problems (in your opinion)?
Respectfully, Stephen L. Tvedten
If you would like to be included in our mailing list for continuing information on pesticides, Email Us. with "subscribe" in the subject line.
|
Nontoxic Products Recommended by Steve Tvedten Now Available |
| Safe 2 Use Products and Services |