September 15, 2009
The NDP Government is currently drafting provincial legislation on cosmetic (i.e. lawn) pesticides. Now is the time to let the NDP government know where you stand on cosmetic pesticides. Here is what to do:
- Please contact your MLA (find your MLA’s contact information at http://www.gov.ns.ca/legislature/members/directory/constituencies.html);
- As your MLA this question: "When the issue of cosmetic pesticide legislation comes to caucus, will you recommend that, in the coming session of legislature, this government pass a province wide ban on sale and use of pesticides, [in addition to changing the Municipal Government Act.]?";
- Ask every Nova Scotian you know to do the same---Facebook it, Tweet it, Email it, Poster it, just spread the word; and
- Report back to me, Chris Benjamin, on any response you receive. Just email me at getyourlawnoffdrugs@ecologyaction.ca.
Thanks so much. Together we can get the health and environmental protection Nova Scotians deserve.
Why should we have a province-wide pesticide ban in Nova Scotia?
Five reasons why the provincial government should pass a province wide ban on sale and use of cosmetic pesticides, as well as allowing municipalities to regulate pesticide use.
- It’s fair. Province wide legislation will give everyone, everywhere in the province strong, basic health protection. Just as we provide basic health care to everyone, basic health protection from pesticides should be available to everyone, equally. Repeated polling by Corporate Research Associates Inc. indicates that there is strong support in all parts of Nova Scotia for a province-wide ban on sale and use of cosmetic pesticides. Province-wide legislation will ensure that vulnerable populations are protected from exposure to cosmetic pesticides, in every school, day care centre, hospital and senior citizen facility and where they live and play.
- It’s efficient. Banning the sale and use of cosmetic pesticides makes enforcement easier. Where municipalities have enacted pesticide by -laws and banned pesticides remain on store shelves, enforcement is difficult, as CBC’s Marketplace program exposed.
- It ‘s timely. A strong province wide ban will provide immediate, universal protection throughout the province. Quebec has had a province-wide ban on sale and use of lawn pesticides since 2003. Ontario passed legislation on Earth Day, 2009. PEI is committed to legislation similar to Ontario in 2010, and has called on other Maritime provinces to do the same. Allowing every municipality the right to pass a local ban will right an old wrong, but without a province-wide ban, it may take years before basic protection is enacted throughout the province.
- It encourages green jobs and green consumption. When hazardous pesticides are no longer permitted for sale or use, companies move quickly to develop, or identify, greener products to do the same job. Store shelves are filled with safer products. Jobs in the landscape industry become green jobs, which is good for employees, consumers and the environment as a whole.
- It’s not an either/or choice. The government can fulfill its election promise by incorporating the municipal right to pass pesticide by-laws into legislation banning sale and use of cosmetic pesticides throughout the province. Quebec’s pesticide legislation includes the municipal right to pass complementary by-laws. Ontario’s legislation does not, and this omission has been one of the main criticisms of otherwise excellent legislation.
Taking cosmetic pesticides off store shelves and banning their use province- wide supports municipalities in several ways. Where communities adopt municipal by-laws, enforcement is easier and more effective. And small municipalities can rest assured that their citizens have basic protection from toxic pesticides, without adding another large responsibility to the work of municipal officials.
The Ecology Action Centre has acted as a voice for Nova Scotia's environment for over 37 years. The EAC has been voted #1 Activist Organization by readers of The Coast magazine for six years running. Since 1971, the EAC has been working to build a healthier, more sustainable Nova Scotia.
Ecology Action Centre
2705 Fern Lane
Halifax, Nova Scotia
Canada B3K 4L3
Phone: (902) 429-2202
Fax: (902) 405-3716
Email: info@ecologyaction.ca
