Nine additional pesticides must be added to new Ontario ban

By: David Suzuki Foundation


Toronto – Ontario’s new pesticide regulations now under development must add nine more to the preliminary list of banned lawn and garden pesticides so as not to undermine restrictions already in place when the Cosmetic Pesticide Ban Act comes into force next summer, according to a brief released by the David Suzuki Foundation today.

“For the new law to be effective, the ban must be comprehensive,” says Lisa Gue, health and environmental policy analyst with the David Suzuki Foundation. “Toxic lawn and garden pesticides pose unnecessary risks and we need to make sure we include all the dangerous ones in the new regulations to protect our health and our environment.”

In addition to those already included in the preliminary lists, De-bugging the ban: nine missing pesticides from Ontario’s proposed prohibitions recommends banning the use and sale of pesticides with the following active ingredients: abamectin, acetamiprid, glufosinate ammonium, glyphosate acid, isopropylamine salt of glyphosate, metam, napropamide, spinosad and thiram.

Seven of these ingredients are already banned in several Ontario municipalities including Toronto, Peterborough and Markham. The new law will replace municipal bylaws and the provincial regulations now under development must be inclusive so as not to dissolve these restrictions.

To ensure that new toxic ingredients don’t find a way onto lawns and gardens in the future, the Foundation also recommends that the regulations include guidelines providing that only lower-risk, naturally occurring substances be permitted for lawn and garden pest control.

De-bugging the ban: nine missing pesticides from Ontario’s proposed prohibitions can be downloaded here or go to www.davidsuzuki.org/publications.

Media contact:
Lisa Gue, Health and Environmental Policy Analyst
David Suzuki Foundation
Cell: (613) 796-7699
lgue@davidsuzuki.org

Sana Khan, Communications assistant
David Suzuki Foundation
Tel: (416) 644-1032
Cell: (416) 556-6138
skhan@davidsuzuki.org

source: David Suzuki Foundation