Owen Sound Sun Times (Ontario, Canada), June 1, 2007

PESTICIDE DEBATE NOT OVER

[Rachel's introduction: "The committee has been studying pesticides and pesticide controls since September and seems to be leaning toward the "precautionary principle," Twaddle said -- if there are doubts about the safety of a product and it's not necessary, it shouldn't be used."]

By Doug Edgar

People will likely get another chance to have a say about pesticide controls in Owen Sound, according to the chair of a city committee looking into the matter.

Coun. Bill Twaddle said city council first has to accept his committee's recommendation, reached Wednesday, that Owen Sound create a bylaw then tell the committee to come up with a draft. He said he expects that's what council will do.

He believes the committee will want to hear from people again once it starts to develop a bylaw.

"There's lots of ways we could go," Twaddle said Thursday, noting some people have called for an outright ban on cosmetic or non-essential use of pesticides, while others have asked the city to do nothing.

The committee has been studying pesticides and pesticide controls since September and seems to be leaning toward the "precautionary principle," Twaddle said -- if there are doubts about the safety of a product and it's not necessary, it shouldn't be used.

What constitutes a doubt may depend on who you talk to.

Ed Putnoki, owner of the Weed Man in Owen Sound and a member of the committee, said products he uses are safe if used correctly, while Anne Finlay-Stewart of Green Owen Sound is of the view pesticides shouldn't be used unless there's a proven need.

"We're pleased," Finlay-Stewart said of the committee's decision. "Now it's all about the details."

An outright ban on the cosmetic use of pesticides isn't a forgone conclusion. Council could insist only people licensed by the province can apply pesticides in the city, or demand that they have accreditation in integrated pest management -- an approach that uses chemicals as part of pest control efforts. It could also ban use, but with certain exceptions.

The city has the power to control pesticide use, since a similar bylaw in Toronto withstood a challenge all the way to the Supreme Court of Canada. The city can stop property owners from using pesticides on their own land as well as control commercial applicators, but it can't stop people from possessing them or buying them, or stop stores from selling them.

About 130 other municipalities have passed pesticide use bylaws and part of the committee's next job will be reviewing them.

"We're looking for the best ideas that people have had," Twaddle said.

Green Owen Sound has been looking at other bylaws and found many it likes. The ones they like best are fairly simple and have few exceptions to allow pesticide use.

"I would want to go as far as we can toward a ban," Finlay-Stewart said.

She noted Peterborough has stressed public education over enforcement. Volunteers talk to people who use pesticides about alternatives, she said.

Putnoki, who wasn't at Wednesday's meeting, said the city's approach has allowed a dialogue about pesticides, which he said are tested and regulated in a process similar to that used to approve drugs in the pharmaceutical field.

"What's frustrating for me is there's no need for this," he said. "These products are safe when used as directed."

Putnoki noted people use chemicals for many purposes, not just as pesticides.

For instance a product used to kill white grubs in lawns has the same active ingredient as a popular flea treatment applied to the neck of pets, he said, yet people are concerned about its effect on pets when used on lawns.

Knowing how to use products is important, he said.

"I only use what I have to use," he said. "Moderation is the key."

If the city passes a bylaw restricting or prohibiting the use of chemical pesticides, he will adapt.

"I will offer what I'm allowed to offer," Putnoki said, but noted there are some synthetic chemicals that have no organic counterpart. It will ultimately affect property owners the most, through higher costs and poorer results if inferior substitutes are used.

Putnoki has a degree in biology and believes in the science behind the approvals process, he said.

"What is your evidence there is risk?" he asked of those calling for bans. "You fundamentally decide if you believe the body or you don't."