Engineering & Public Works Truro Tree Committee Pesticide Reduction Strategy
Pesticide Reduction Strategy“But a weed is simply a plant that wants to grow where people want In May 2006 Truro Town Council created a Pesticide Advisory Committee to research potential options available to the municipality to address concerns of citizens regarding the non-essential or cosmetic use of lawn and garden pesticides within the community, and their potential impact on human health and the environment. On May 11, 2010 the Province of Nova Scotia enacted BILL NO. 61 An Act to Prohibit the Sale and Use of Non-essential Pesticides, commonly referred to as the Non-essential Pesticides Control Act. The new law is being phased in over 2 years, beginning with restrictions on the sale and use of pesticides used for turf management coming into force April 1, 2011. Beginning April 1, 2012 restrictions on the sale and use of pesticide products applied to trees, shrubs, flowers and ornamental plants take effect. Under this new province wide legislation, and accompanying regulations, many of the traditional lawn and garden care pesticide products have been banned from sale and use in lawn and garden care within Nova Scotia. This includes products for which the Town’s municipal by-law required a permit to apply, and those that would require advance notification of nearby citizens included in the voluntary notification registry. As the more restrictive provincial legislation governing non-essential pesticide use supersedes Truro’s municipal by-law, Truro Town Council decided to rescind their by-law in favour of the new province wide rules. This process was begun during February 7, 2011’s Council meeting, and will be finalized prior to the implementation of BILL NO. 61. For additional information on the province’s new pesticide legislation, including copies of the act and regulations; and links to related websites, visit the Nova Scotia Environment website.
Lawn and Garden Care Sites of Interest
Nova Scotia Environment Preventing Pest Damage in Home Lawns Understanding the Pesticide Label Nova Scotia Department of Agriculture – Laboratory Services How to Collect a Soil Sample for Analysis Health Canada Pest Management Regulatory Agency Environment Canada The Green Lane – Green Solutions US Environmental Protection Agency Healthy Lawn, Healthy Environment Citizen’s Guide to Pest Control and Pesticide Safety Landscape New Brunswick Horticultural Trades Association University of Guelph – Guelph Turfgrass Institute McGill University Halifax Regional Municipality Naturally Green – Pesticide Alternatives City of Toronto Pesticide Free A Guide to Natural Lawn and Garden Care New Brunswick Lung Association Natural Insect Control (N.I.C.) “Our attitude towards plants is a singularly narrow one. If we see any immediate utility in a plant we foster it. If for any reason we find its presence undesirable or merely a matter of indifference, we may condemn it to destruction forthwith.” |