Manitoba property managers will have the option to apply cosmetic pesticides on private green space when this year’s growing season arrives. Recently adopted amendments to the provincial Environment Act repeal a prohibition that had been in place since 2014 and allow retailers to again freely sell federally approved pesticides. However, that comes with an expanded list of designated publicly trafficked areas where pesticides will continue to be banned.
“Health Canada approves all cosmetic pesticides used in Canada, which must meet strict health and safety measures,” Jeff Wharton, Manitoba’s Minister of Climate, Environment and Parks, observed when he first introduced the legislation last year. “The federal government has a robust approval process that assesses the risk of pesticides to human health and the environment, and they have deemed products safe when used appropriately.”
The Association of Manitoba Municipalities (AMM) and the Manitoba Nursery Landscape Association also voiced support for returned leeway to use federally approved pesticides on lawns, boulevards, sidewalks, rights-of-way and fairgrounds. Municipal governments in particular had complained about the premium cost and reduced effectiveness of permitted weed-control products under the previous rules, which included iron-based solutions, horticultural vinegars, corn gluten meal and bio-pesticides.
In opposition, a coalition of 32 public health, environmental and community organizations called for a continued ban, citing research that has linked pesticides to a range of reproductive, neurological and respiratory health conditions in humans. Additionally, pesticides pose threats to pollinators and can contaminate storm water runoff.
“Protecting human health is a higher priority than accommodating an aesthetic preference for weed-free lawns,” the coalition asserted in a letter to the Ministers of Health and Environment, Climate and Parks.
The new rules prohibit pesticide use on school, hospital and childcare centre properties, provincial parks, picnic areas, municipal playgrounds and dog parks.
