Update pesticide law, environmental advocates urge Quebec
By MONIQUE BEAUDIN, gazette environment reporter May 17, 2011 11:03 AM
MONTREAL – Quebec’s pioneering pesticide law needs to be updated if the province wants to be a leader in protecting human health and the environment, two advocacy groups said Tuesday.
Équiterre and the David Suzuki Foundation compared existing provincial pesticide laws across Canada and found that Ontario and Nova Scotia now have the strictest laws in the country. Quebec’s law, adopted in 2003, hasn’t been updated since then to include new pesticides, the groups point out.
They say Quebec’s law, which covers lawn pesticides, should be expanded to include pesticides used for cosmetic purposes in landscaping. As well, they urge, the province should compile a list of “lower-risk” substances that could be used instead of outlawed pesticides, and Quebec needs to create a way to prohibit new pesticides as they come to market.
Quebec’s law is still the best model for regulating pesticide use in areas frequented by children, the environmental groups say.
mbeaudin@montrealgazette.com
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