Alberta Environment was requested to respond to a Transportation and Public Works Committee motion developed at the Restriction on Pesticides Hearing, held on February 23, 2011. The motion was for the provincial government to review the ban of pesticide ingredients in other Canadian provinces and to determine the viability of a similar approach in Alberta.
A summary is attached for your review describing the approaches to pesticide bans that have occurred to date in Canada. The information is recent; showing bans in effect in eastern Canada. Our review notes that municipal and provincial governments struggle with the shifting attitudes in public concern towards risk associated with pesticide use in urban landscapes. We also observe the public is dealing with a wide variety of conflicting information on this topic.
Alberta Environment will continue to strongly support using science-based evidence and will not create restrictions or laws that conflict with the federal government, who we rely on for health and safety assessments. Restricting access to products that are designed and approved to be used safely conflicts with our assessment of the publics need for access to all tools available for controlling a variety of pests.
Alberta Environment does not intend to move to prohibit the sale of pesticides beyondthe current prohibition we have on weed and feed lawn care products.