John Harding Mar 19,2015
The City of Parksville will wait to see what the provincial government does with new laws governing pesticides.Some councillors seemed to have the appetite to ban the cosmetic use of pesticides in the city, but they decided in the end to see what the province does because its laws will supersede anything the city may do.The previous city council asked staff in October of 2014 to prepare a report on the impact of a cosmetic pesticide ban in the city, including the cost of enforcement.Councillors said they were impressed with the report produced by director of community planning Blaine Russell and staff. It detailed what other communities in the area are doing and the legislative outlook.In the end, council passed a motion to review the progress of the proposed provincial regulations in 12 months and in the interim, direct staff to coordinate with the RDN to provide educational materials about alternatives to pesticide use.Any bylaw banning pesticide use in the city may be “superfluous” at this point, said Russell, although “what it does more than anything is send a message.”Council had the option to direct staff to develop a bylaw banning cosmetic pesticide use, but opted for the wait-and-see approach. Coun. Leanne Salter said she doesn’t expect the provincial government will act with any speed on this issue.”I don’t have confidence they will have much in place 12-18 months from now,” said Salter.
