AMM Does Not Support Pesticide Ban
Association of Manitoba Municipalities is opposed to the province's proposed pesticide ban.
Rural Vice-President Ralph Groening says the province plans to outlaw domestic use of pesticides, with the exception of biopesticides.
"We have been opposed from the very beginning to this outright pesticide ban," notes Groening. "We continue to be opposed."
Groening notes AMM's position is that the Province of Manitoba should put more effort into educating the public about all of the regulatory processes that must happen before a pesticide is allowed to be used.
He says however, AMM hasn't received much feedback from the public, partly because it is not yet law.
"We don't have detail of what actually is going to happen and what the impact will be," he says.
Meanwhile, Groening says AMM also has concerns with cutbacks to the provincial mowing program. He notes the province used to mow roadsides twice annually. But budget cuts resulted in the program being cut in half last year. Groening says this is concerning.
"The primary concern would be road safety," he says. "When roadsides are allowed to grow without the proper maintenance, that's a major concern."
Groening says the secondary concern is the noxious weeds that are allowed to grow as a result.
"We've expressed our concerns to the province," he says. "We've shared the need for an improved return back to a twice annual mowing of roadsides. The argument that so far has been presented is that because of budgetary constraints this program has to be cut back. So for the moment I believe that's what the situation remains, they will do a once annual mowing."
AMM Does Not Support Pesticide Ban – Local News – Pembinavalleyonline.com.
