THIS is good news!! Congratulations and thank you to the PEI Chapter of the Canadian Cancer Society and The PEI Environmental Health Coalition. Without your help this would not have happened.
TERESA WRIGHT
The Guardian
Use of certain dangerous cosmetic pesticides will soon be banned when the province introduces its new Pesticide Control Act during the fall session of the legislature.
The fall session officially opened Thursday with the speech from the throne. It included details of a proposed law to ban a number of lawn pesticides and ensure that others are used by only trained commercial operators under certain conditions.
Environment Minister Richard Brown said this new law will disallow use of the controversial chemical 2,4-D by consumers and landscape companies on lawns. It will be allowed on golf courses, but this will be closely monitored and audited by provincial officers.
“People will compare this law to Ontario’s but in Ontario there’s tons and tons of extensions,” Brown said.
“This law will ban any chemical that has 2,4-D in it – it will be gone from lawns on Prince Edward Island.”
Trained commercial operators will be allowed to use other lawn pesticides, but any workers who apply chemicals will have to complete a special course. They will also be closely monitored by the environment department and will have to let government know every time they use chemicals.
“They’re going to have to be certified. They’re going to have to register what lawns they’re doing and we’re going to be doing audits, and if they abuse that they’ll lose their privileges,” Brown said.
He believes the province is taking the lead in the region with this legislation and believes it will be implemented before New Brunswick implements similar lawn pesticide legislation.
People across the province have been asking for more regulations for chemical pesticide use, and the province is acting on those concerns, Brown said.
“One of the biggest complaints we get in the department is, ‘The guy next door or the person down the street is spraying his lawn and it’s affecting my health, it’s affecting my children’s health and we want it stopped.’ We’ve listened to that.” Brown said.
“There are other processes that can be used out there instead of using 2,4-D and chemicals that will hurt you. It may take a little bit more work to do it, but I believe it’s possible and necessary.”
