Dear Editor:
Today a concerned citizen witnessed more irresponsible pesticide spraying of knotweed by District of North Vancouver and the Invasive Species Council of Metro Vancouver.
Last year DNV hired the Invasive Species Council of Metro Vancouver to spray knotweed in district parks, including Inter River Park. ISC sprayed this popular berry-picking location in blackberry season, which is against the regulations. Plus, their signage was very poor and did not cover all entrances, so again they did not follow regulations.
Despite complaints last year, on the morning of Tuesday, June 30, ISC sprayed knotweed growing between rocks in Panorama Park.
Again, the signage was poor, being visible when approaching the area from above but not from the beach.
Children were seen playing on the sprayed rocks later in the day.
The pesticide being used contains glyphosate, which has recently been re-evaluted by the World Health Organization as a probable cause of cancer, as well as being implicated in many other health and environmental issues.
Whether you believe the pesticide is safe or not, we all deserve a choice in whether we want to risk exposure, especially when children are involved.
It’s time the district and ISC were at the very least more careful to properly block off the area and put up proper signage when they are spraying these poisons in our parks and play areas.
Janice Wilson
North Vancouver
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