But don’t be confused by the title of this post, I don’t actually mean debate on legislation, I mean public debate about how necessary it is that we have provincial cosmetic pesticide legislation.
Yesterday morning, Andrew Gage from West Coast Environmental Law posted two fabulous blog entries (here and here) on the continued discussion about cosmetic pesticide legislation. I encourage you to read them.
But more than that I encourage you to start getting involved. The provincial government consulted the public, and yet they aren’t actually acting to change the way that cosmetic pesticides are regulated in our province.
It’s interesting how the debate has shifted, taking into consideration these two posts, because it’s no longer about the gravity of exposure to dangerous pesticides. It’s actually about the fact that there was public consultations conducted on the question of what to do about cosmetic pesticides and that nothing has been done with them.
It’s Friday, I’ll keep this short, but if you’re reading this and wondering what you can do, send a letter to Minister Penner and your MLA.
This is what I’ve sent:
Dear Minister Penner,
I applaud the BC government for holding consultations and for initiating a greater conversation around the need for a province wide cosmetic pesticide ban, however I am asking that you please act now to continue this discussion and ban use of all cosmetic pesticides by August 2011.
Over the past few years, Ontario, Quebec and Nova Scotia have all introduced legislation to ban dangerous pesticides, which contain active ingredients that are classified as human carcinogens, reproductive toxins, endocrine-disrupting chemicals and/or neurotoxins
I support a province wide pesticide ban, which goes farther than that current Integrated Pest Management (IPM) that currently exists in BC. The IPM is not sufficient because under this system pesticides can still be used for cosmetic, unnecessary, purposes.
The use of pesticides for cosmetic purposes is unnecessary, as safe and effective alternatives exist. 76% of British Columbians are in favor of provincial pesticide legislation. The health of our citizens and the environment should trump the need to use potential cancer causing chemicals – even as a last resort – simply to beautify our lawns and gardens.
Now is the time for the BC government to pass new legislation that prohibits the use and sale of chemical pesticides for lawns and gardens, allowing exceptions only to protect public health Including IPM in cosmetic pesticide legislation creates a situation where neighbourhood lawns and gardens, town home complexes, and public parks and playgrounds could still be treated with these toxic products.
I would like the provincial government to act now to protect human and environmental health.
Yours sincerely,
