Port Coquitlam joined a growing list of municipalities across the country when it voted unanimously in favour of banning cosmetic pesticides on private property.
Following the approval of fourth and final reading of the bylaw on Monday, residents who use banned chemicals to enhance their lawns and gardens will be subject to fines.
The average ticket would be in the range of $100 to $300 and would be issued following a verbal and then a written warning. Flagrant disregard of the bylaw could lead to penalties of up to $10,000 in extreme cases.
While PoCo council unanimously supported the pesticide ban, Mayor Greg Moore told The Tri-City News last month he was hoping the provincial government would step in with a B.C.-wide ban. Leaving the issue up to individual municipalities, he said, does not restrict the sale of the chemicals and makes the regulations difficult to enforce.
In the meantime, he added, the city would adopt its bylaw and begin to educate residents why it is important to avoid garden chemicals.
Municipalities across the country have adopted similar regulations and the Canadian Cancer Society said that between 7 and 11% of cancer deaths are related to environmental carcinogens.
Port Coquitlam was one of the first municipalities in the country to stop using cosmetic pesticides on city lands and promotes natural lawn care techniques on its website.
via The Tri-City News – PoCo latest city to ban pesticides.
