The Hamilton Spectator: Province targets cosmetic pesticides

Pubdate:April 23, 2008

By Erika Engel

The McGuinty government is imposing a province-wide ban on the
use of cosmetic pesticides.

The Cosmetic Pesticides Ban Act is expected to be effective
next year and would give the province authority to ban
the use and sale of pesticides including herbicide, fungicide and
insecticide for cosmetic purposes.

The law would not apply to agriculture, forestry and golf
courses. It will supercede any existing municipal bylaws. However, municipalities
will still be free to impose extra regulations at their
discretion.

Rob Hall, Hamilton's director of health protection, believes the legislation
will help with consistency between municipalities.

"It would appear that the province has started down the
path that is similar to what the Hamilton bylaw encompasses,"
Hall said.

"It's hard for us to look at what's in our
bylaw and how it compares," he said. "The devil is
in the details."

The provincial legislation will ban the sale of certain pesticides,
something local bylaws couldn't do.

Details about how the ban will be enforced or when
it will take effect have not been released. Those specifics
will be in the regulation, which will be drafted if
the act is approved in provincial legislation.

The proposal thus far imposes bans on cosmetic pesticides on
the following:

* Commercial, institutional and industrial properties including parks, school yards
and cemeteries.

* Residential, farm, and cottage properties including lawns, ornamental plantings,
vegetable gardens, patios, driveways and trees.

* Land around golf course clubhouses.

* Municipal and provincial government lands including parks, school yards,
conservation areas, and gardens.

Pesticides may be used on the above lands for health
and safety reasons, such as managing harmful pests like stinging
insects, poison ivy and mosquitoes, which could carry the West
Nile virus.

Exceptions are also made for lands used for agricultural purposes,
First Nations land (exempt from provincial oversight), land used for
golf courses, land used in forestry and federal government land.