Environmental Issues in
Northern Ontario
GREEN - Greater Renewable
Energy and Ecodesigns Now
Pesticides Bylaw
BY BILL BRADLEY
Interest in reducing pesticides, including herbicides which control
weeds, is growing say citizens, business and government.
Nurse Suzanne Harvey
has 500 Minnow Lake residents and Councilor Lynne Reynolds backing her
petition to ban the use of all lawn and garden pesticides on all
residential and city properties within the city of Greater Sudbury.
Mayor David
Courtemanche is interested in what the Sudbury and District Health Unit
is doing about the issue.
Harvey says there are alternatives to pesticides and businesses are
selling organic services and products that are safe to people and the
environment.
“I am totally behind
what Suzanne Harvey is doing. After all we are a city of lakes. We have
to be very careful what goes into Minnow Lake, Junction Creek and Ramsey
Lake, the source of our drinking water,” said Reynolds.
Harvey is concerned
about pesticides for three reasons.
“ I have two children,
Natalie is 7 years and Danielle is four years old. I want them to have
an Earth to call home. I want to show them that they can be empowered to
make a difference. Second I have always been an outdoors enthusiast. It
troubles me to see what is happening out there-there are no frogs
anymore.”
Harvey also has a more
profound reason for being concerned about pesticides.
“I have a strong faith belief. If God created this world then we have a
responsibility to care for it. My husband, John, is the minister at St.
James Anglican Church. The Anglican Church itself promotes more
environmental awareness on their website.”
Raising awareness locally about pesticides is what Harvey and her
friends are now involved with.
“Because North Bay
passed a pesticide restriction bylaw February 28, 2005 I thought it was
time to launch a petition here from Minnow Lake with a view to taking it
to city council in the fall,” said Harvey.
Shelly Westhaven
program manager for environmental health with the Sudbury and District
Health Unit says a new pesticide reduction committee is being formed.
“It will be a
partnership with us and the City of Greater Sudbury and the Ontario
Ministry of Environment to promote education and awareness of these
issues,” said Westhaven.
Mayor David
Courtemanche is supportive.
“I take the concerns of
the Public Health Unit very seriously. There is growing evidence that
pesticides are a public health hazard and municipalities are in a
position to address that issue through the development of not just a
bylaw but programs and policies that would support the reduction if not
elimination of pesticides in our community,” said Mayor Courtemanche.
In North Bay their bylaw No 2005-03 identifies risks posed by
indiscriminate pesticide abuse and promotes the philosophy of integrated
pest management, a technique which reinforces cultural and natural
controls while minimizing pesticide applications.
“No person shall apply a pesticide within 15 meters of lakes, rivers or
streams when it is raining or forecast to rain, or when wind velocity is
stronger than 11 kilometres an hour,” says the bylaw.
Contravention of the
bylaw can result in a fine enforced by police officers.
Exempt are agricultural operations, golf courses, swimming pools or
situations when pests are clearly out of control, especially when deemed
a health hazard.
Harvey mentioned that lawn care companies are embracing organic
alternatives.
“My friend Ersin Abdullah runs a company called Planet Earth that is
totally organic. He is helping me with my lawn and informing others here
in Minnow Lake.”
Turf King’s Rob Hargan
says his company uses a safe weed suppresser called corn gluten.
“We’ve been using it on
municipal property with good results,” he said.
An organic weed and feed lawn food with corn gluten added is sold at all
Independent Grocers including Poulton’s, Dumas, Moncion’s, Steve’s,
Chartrands and Battistelli’s.
“Corn gluten stops weed seeds from germinating so apply it before they
sprout in early spring or late summer. It has been popular in the Ottawa
area where there is concern about pesticide abuse but this is a new
product for Sudbury,” said Carole Aubin manager of the garden center at
Dumas Grocers on Lorne St.
For more information
phone Suzanne Harvey at 524-5377 or Ersin at 669-8275 or visit
www.minnowlake.ca
bbradley@northernlife.ca
