A chance to ban cosmetic pesticides

In 2007, Islanders were very clear, they wanted a cosmetic pesticide ban. In 2009, then Environment Minister Richard Brown announced regulations were being drawn up. “The P.E.I. government intends to ban the sale of cosmetic pesticides starting in 2010.”

We didn’t get the provincial cosmetic pesticide ban we were promised, however, the Municipalities Act was changed to give municipalities the power to enact partial bans. Charlottetown, Stratford, Cornwall and Summerside enacted cosmetic pesticide bans on non-domestic pesticides. The bans are not complete because the province has not relinquished its power to prohibit the sale or application of domestic pesticides and is unwilling to do what so many clearly want.

We need two things to happen:

1. Municipalities to toughen up their bans by removing ‘infestation’ clauses.

2. The P.E.I. Government to step up and do what was promised in 2009 by banning all cosmetic pesticides.

The City of Charlottetown has a meeting Monday, February 12 at 7:00 p.m. At this meeting, they will vote on whether to remove the ‘infestation clause’ from the by-law. This ‘infestation clause’ has allowed pesticide companies to get around the ban by paying a $50 fee. City Coun. Mike Duffy has been working with concerned citizens to remove both the $50 fee and the infestation clause.

This would move the City of Charlottetown much closer to the cosmetic pesticide ban that people have been clamoring for since 2007.

The public is encouraged to attend this meeting Monday night and support Mike Duffy’s motion.

Darcie Lanthier,

Mermaid