City Council to revisit pesticide issue

For the sixth time in 13 years, Sault Ste. Marie City Council is about to revisit the issue of pesticide use.

City councillors will be asked Monday night to continue allowing use of the controversial chemicals on private property.

Last summer, the Supreme Court of Canada upheld a municipal pesticides bylaw in Hudson, Quebec, restricting their use on private property for merely cosmetic reasons.

But that bylaw also allowed certain "essential" uses by farmers and golf courses, who must register pesticide use with the municipality.

Sault Ste. Marie's legal staff recently canvassed ten other Ontario cities and found that none have so far passed pesticide bylaws.

More staff

Although the City has power to regulate pesticide use on private property, staff are concerned that additional, highly trained personnel would be needed for enforcement.

They're also concerned that any prohibition of pesticide use on private property would make it hard for the City to justified continued use of pesticides on City-owned properties such as the cemetary and boardwalk.

On Monday, City Councillors will be asked to refrain from passing a pesticide bylaw.

Existing practise

Instead, they'll be asked to endorse the City's ongoing efforts to reduce use of pesticides on municipal properties.

Those efforts focus on encouraging healthy turf that can withstand biological and environmental stressors on its own, using chemicals only when needed.

Priority areas for pesticide application include places where complaints are received about weeds.

Whenever contractors are used for pesticide application, the City ensures that their procedures are consistent with City practise.

Spraying statistics

Here, as provided by parks manager Randy Travaglini, are the City's spraying statistics for the past eight years. These figures include 45 hectares at the cemetary:

- 1994 - 97 hectares - 1995 - 108 hectares - 1996 - 134 hectares - 1997 - 111 hectares - 1998 - 83 hectares - 1999 - 72 hectares - 2000 - 70 hectares - 2001 - 55 hectares

Explore alternatives

Says Travaglini: "If we were to eliminate use of pesticides at this point, complaints would be numerous, especially in the cemetary and focal-point locations.

"We will continue to explore other alternatives and also maintain our cultural practises with the intent to limit the use of pesticides even further, if possible," Travaglini said.

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