Re- A Community Friendly Pesticide Bylaw

Date: Fri, 17 Mar 2000 14:42:50 -0400
From: Helen Jones <hjones@chebucto.ns.ca>
Organization: Chebucto Community Net
To: Sustainable Maritimes <sust-mar@chebucto.ns.ca>
Precedence: bulk
Return-Path: <sust-mar-mml-owner@chebucto.ns.ca>

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ACTION NEEDED RE- A "COMMUNITY FRIENDLY" PESTICIDE BYLAW

The March 6th Staff Report proposal to (1) continue the no-spray policy
on municipal property, and, (2) provide 100 metre no-pesticide zones
around only people with a medical letter stating they have potentially
life threatening symptoms..... is totally inadequate as a public health
policy designed to protect the WHOLE community from further involuntary
toxic landscape pesticide exposures..  

It will guarantee more people get sick.

It won't protect children at school, walking to and from school, or at
most homes.  Amazingly, it would still be legal to spray next to a
school in session.

Doesn't protect drinking water wells (there are thousands in HRM), and
landscape pesticides are being applied right next to them.

Will likely lead to litigation from industry challenges claiming that no
one has ever been harmed when pesticides are used as directed.  This is
untrue, but court cases, in themselves, can have a chilling effect on
municipalities and their budgets. 

Doesn't protect the workplace.

Doesn't acknowledge the serious problems in the Canadian pesticide
regulatory process, now part of the public record (Federal Auditor
General's Office; House of Commons Standing Committee on the Environment
and Sustainable Development).

Doesn't acknowledge Canadian doctors think Canadian children are at risk
from pesticides, and are saying so clearly.

Both the CNIB and the Canadian Union of Postal Workers (NS-PEI local)
have written Council asking for help; the letter carriers are getting
sick delivering the mail, and the 1,200 blind do not have the option of
avoiding a treated area because they cannot see the warning signs.  The
proposal before Council ignores these requests for help. Metre readers
and children delivering newspapers also frequently encounter residential
pesticide drift.

What is truly hard to understand is that in the very short summary of
the recommendations from the Pesticide Bylaw Advisory Report that was
provided on page 6 of the Staff Report, ABSOLUTELY NO MENTION OR
ACKNOWLEDGMENT OF THE MAJORITY REPORT WAS MADE.  This is not even
competent behaviour on the part of staff. And it fails to take advantage
of the carefully worked out, and quite moderate, detailed proposal for
phasing out landscape pesticides over several years - presented on page
6 and 7 of the Majority Report. The Majority Report was based on a
significant 7:4 breakdown of the Committee membership, and represented
among the seven signees were a wide range of technical backgrounds,
including a professional landscaper.

The Council meeting on March 21st could see Council finalizing its
decision on the type of Bylaw it will be proposing, so this is an
especially important date.  

TO GUARANTEE A "COMMUNITY FRIENDLY" BYLAW, as many people as possible
should contact Halifax Regional Council with their views beforehand. 
Write or phone your Councillor (contact information is available at
490-4050; to e-mail your Councillor go to:
<http://www.chebucto.ns.ca/Environment/RATE/Email_Councillors.html>. 

A sharp reprimand is in order re the Staff Report IGNORING the
recommendations in the Majority Report from the Pesticide Bylaw Advisory
Committee.  Councillors who haven't had the time to read these reports
carefully may not even be aware this was done.  The accuracy of staff
reports is important.  It just doesn't make sense to appoint a committee
with a broad cross section of "stakeholders" to study a problem, and then
not even acknowledge or carefully review the recommendations of a large
segment of that committee. 
 
The long four year campaign for a "clean and green," non-toxic community
must overcome another unexpected obstacle, and do it quickly. 
Organizing fast enough will be a stretch, but worth trying  - with help
from everybody.  Lot's of e-mails, phone calls,and letters have already
gone to Council.  Keep them coming!


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