Coquitlam council decided against joining municipalities like Port Moody in banning pesticides and herbicides.
Photograph by: NOW file photo
Worms, earwigs and caterpillars will get no reprieve in Coquitlam, after council voted down a cosmetic pesticide bylaw Monday night.
In a 4-4 tie, the notice of motion from Coun. Selina Robinson died on the table, which left some residents in attendance buzzing with frustration. Robinson proposed Coquitlam join the 18 municipalities in B.C. and 135 in Canada that have cosmetic pesticide bans, as “there is no absolute proof that these products cause no harm.”
Coun. Fin Donnelly commended Robinson for the motion, and Coun. Mae Reid said she has been concerned over the potential harm to honeybees, which are experiencing declining populations that some link to pesticide use. The proposed bylaw, however, stung some on council.
“These things are regulated and tested by the federal government,” Coun. Brent Asmundson said, adding that the bylaw was undefined. “What are we banning here, everything? Or certain products? How effective is the ban going to be?” He used West Nile virus as an example of how pesticide use can ensure human health.
“We should be doing this on a scientific, fact-based” approach, Asmundson said. Coun. Lou Sekora pointed to the “mountain pine beetle” in northern communities as an example of the disastrous effects pests can have on plants like trees and industries as a whole, when pesticides are not applied. Coun. Doug Macdonell cautioned council to “look at this calmly.”
“Coquitlam uses any kind of pesticide or herbicide very little,” he said, referring to the city’s preference of using steam and other methods over chemicals. “If it’s not an issue with what Coquitlam uses, how are we going to police the residents?
“Are we going to give a ticket to the resident who uses Weed-Out bought in Burnaby?” Acting mayor Linda Reimer said she didn’t want to enact another bylaw when the city doesn’t have the resources to enforce the ones already on the books. Cosmetic pesticides, she said, also make it safe for plants, children with anaphylactic reactions and gardens.
“I think we’re preaching to the converted,” she said. “Quite a large number of pesticides, 80 per cent, are organic or natural. I know people in Port Moody, many go into a shop in Port Coquitlam.
“I think doing it municipality by municipality makes for poor public policy.” Robinson cautioned councillors who believe in Health Canada’s stamp of approval, citing DDT and thalidomide as examples of substances that were repealed after disastrous side effects were discovered.
Robinson, Donnelly, Reid and Lynch all supported the motion, while Reimer, Asmundson, Sekora and Macdonell voted against. As a tie, the motion failed. During question period, Eve Gauthier asked what precautions parks staff take when applying pesticides to public spaces.
“If I were using these for work, WCB regulations would require I wear a mask and appropriate clothing,” she said. Parks staff replied that procedure calls for staff to take a course on pesticides and herbicides, and wear specific safety gear. Notices are also posted 24 hours in advance of spraying, and remain on site for 48 hours after spraying is completed.
“But this is the same chemical,” Gauthier said of what residents use on their lawns and gardens, without the same precautions. Mayor Richard Stewart had excused himself from that portion of the council meeting, calling for a “recess” and then slowly leaving chambers in visible pain. (He has suffered from severe back pain since a car accident in 2003.) Stewart said Tuesday, however, that he wants to revisit the use of cosmetic pesticides and herbicides.
“I think it’s possible to find consensus on the issue,” he said, adding that his family no longer uses chemicals in their yard. “There are all those alternatives. I’ve bought the bag of lady bugs, for example, and released them in my garden.”
Stewart said a “balanced position” would include a push for a provincial ban and offering education to homeowners on what the alternatives are.
“We should help promote other solutions where residents can be proper stewards of their property,” he said.
In a 4-4 tie, the notice of motion from Coun. Selina Robinson died on the table, which left some residents in attendance buzzing with frustration. Robinson proposed Coquitlam join the 18 municipalities in B.C. and 135 in Canada that have cosmetic pesticide bans, as “there is no absolute proof that these products cause no harm.”
Coun. Fin Donnelly commended Robinson for the motion, and Coun. Mae Reid said she has been concerned over the potential harm to honeybees, which are experiencing declining populations that some link to pesticide use. The proposed bylaw, however, stung some on council.
“These things are regulated and tested by the federal government,” Coun. Brent Asmundson said, adding that the bylaw was undefined. “What are we banning here, everything? Or certain products? How effective is the ban going to be?” He used West Nile virus as an example of how pesticide use can ensure human health.
“We should be doing this on a scientific, fact-based” approach, Asmundson said. Coun. Lou Sekora pointed to the “mountain pine beetle” in northern communities as an example of the disastrous effects pests can have on plants like trees and industries as a whole, when pesticides are not applied. Coun. Doug Macdonell cautioned council to “look at this calmly.”
“Coquitlam uses any kind of pesticide or herbicide very little,” he said, referring to the city’s preference of using steam and other methods over chemicals. “If it’s not an issue with what Coquitlam uses, how are we going to police the residents?
“Are we going to give a ticket to the resident who uses Weed-Out bought in Burnaby?” Acting mayor Linda Reimer said she didn’t want to enact another bylaw when the city doesn’t have the resources to enforce the ones already on the books. Cosmetic pesticides, she said, also make it safe for plants, children with anaphylactic reactions and gardens.
“I think we’re preaching to the converted,” she said. “Quite a large number of pesticides, 80 per cent, are organic or natural. I know people in Port Moody, many go into a shop in Port Coquitlam.
“I think doing it municipality by municipality makes for poor public policy.” Robinson cautioned councillors who believe in Health Canada’s stamp of approval, citing DDT and thalidomide as examples of substances that were repealed after disastrous side effects were discovered.
Robinson, Donnelly, Reid and Lynch all supported the motion, while Reimer, Asmundson, Sekora and Macdonell voted against. As a tie, the motion failed. During question period, Eve Gauthier asked what precautions parks staff take when applying pesticides to public spaces.
“If I were using these for work, WCB regulations would require I wear a mask and appropriate clothing,” she said. Parks staff replied that procedure calls for staff to take a course on pesticides and herbicides, and wear specific safety gear. Notices are also posted 24 hours in advance of spraying, and remain on site for 48 hours after spraying is completed.
“But this is the same chemical,” Gauthier said of what residents use on their lawns and gardens, without the same precautions. Mayor Richard Stewart had excused himself from that portion of the council meeting, calling for a “recess” and then slowly leaving chambers in visible pain. (He has suffered from severe back pain since a car accident in 2003.) Stewart said Tuesday, however, that he wants to revisit the use of cosmetic pesticides and herbicides.
“I think it’s possible to find consensus on the issue,” he said, adding that his family no longer uses chemicals in their yard. “There are all those alternatives. I’ve bought the bag of lady bugs, for example, and released them in my garden.”
Stewart said a “balanced position” would include a push for a provincial ban and offering education to homeowners on what the alternatives are.
“We should help promote other solutions where residents can be proper stewards of their property,” he said.
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