Did the city of Toronto and the province of Ontario ban the right ‘pests’?

Christopher B.

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Did the city of Toronto and the province of Ontario ban the right ‘pests’?

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Abstract

Recently, a lot of attention has been paid to the issue of cosmetic pesticide use in Canada. For years, chemical pesticides were readily sprayed on gardens and lawns across the country, with very little consideration given to the fact that they might be harmful to the environment. However, with the public's growing concern about the safety of these pesticides, many municipal and provincial governments across Canada were forced to take action and address some of these issues about the safety of pesticides. In order to deal with these issues in Canada, a number of municipal bylaws and provincial laws were passed banning the use of pesticides over wide areas, like towns, cities, or provinces. The specific focus of this research paper will be on what the city of Toronto has done in order to protect its citizens from the harmful effects of pesticides. In examining the steps that the city of Toronto has taken, one must also consider the new provincial law in Ontario that was passed in 2008, banning the use of pesticides province-wide. The implementation of this new provincial law has had a direct impact on the city of Toronto by making Toronto's pesticide bylaw obsolete, and this report will examine some of the issues that arose after the passing of this new provincial law.

Introduction
1. Background information
2. What are pesticides?
Examples of important pesticide uses
1. Why are pesticides a problem?
Health risks
Environmental risks
Legal discussion
1. What is being done at the federal level in Canada?
2. What is being done at the municipal level?
3. The pesticide bylaw: The city of Toronto
4. Effects of the Toronto Bylaw
5. Other municipal pesticide bans across Canada
What is being done at the provincial level?
1. The Ontario law: Bill 62, the Cosmetic Pesticides Ban Act
2. Is the Ontario Law the right step?
3. The pros
4. The cons
5. Exceptions to the Ontario Cosmetic Pesticides Ban Act
Are Toronto residents and Ontario residents satisfied with the pesticide bans?
Conclusion

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[...] So, while the bylaw was passed in 2004, it did not go into full effect until 2007, and it was in full effect in Toronto up until 2008, when the province of Ontario passed its own law banning the use of pesticides in Ontario. When Toronto's Pesticide Bylaw was passed, it was one of the first of its kind in the province of Ontario. The City of Toronto relied on neighbors and other citizens to report the illegal use of pesticides if they see people applying cosmetic pesticides to their lawns or gardens. [...]

[...] In order to get a better understanding of public support for pesticide regulations in Toronto and Ontario, it is important to look at public opinion regarding The City of Toronto's Pesticide Bylaw and Ontario's Cosmetic Pesticide Ban Act. After several polls of Ontario residents were conducted in 2007, it was found that approximately 71% of Ontario residents supported a province-wide ban on pesticides, while only 22% opposed it, and were undecided on the issue. Before the pesticide bylaw was passed in Toronto, the city conducted a survey, trying to gauge a better understanding of public opinion concerning this matter of cosmetic pesticide use. [...]

[...] In fact, there were 29 other similar municipal bylaws in the province of Ontario and 140 municipal bylaws in cities and towns across Canada, including such major cities as Ottawa, Halifax, and Vancouver (City of Toronto May: 1). Currently the largest city in Canada without a pesticide bylaw is the city of Calgary, and there is still a lot of opposition surrounding the implementation of a pesticide ban in the city. iii. What is being done at the provincial level? [...]

[...] The implementation of this new provincial law has had a direct impact on the city of Toronto by making Toronto's pesticide bylaw obsolete, and this report will examine some of the issues that arose after the passing of this new provincial law. It will also be important to discuss the effectiveness of the new law, and determine whether or not the citizens of Ontario and residents of Toronto are, in fact, being adequately protected. This paper will compare and contrast the former Toronto bylaw with the new Ontario law, and will also suggest ways that the municipal and provincial governments can work together in order to effectively deal with this problem in the future. [...]

[...] Therefore, the increased risk of developing certain health problems as a result of being exposed to these chemical pesticides contributed to the growing pressure to ban the use of these pesticides in cities like Toronto, and ultimately across the entire province of Ontario. Environmental Risks: In addition to various health problems, pesticides also enter the environment, contributing to environmental contamination. One of the main problems with pesticides is that they are mobile, meaning they do not always stay in the area in which they are applied (Toronto Public Health April: 15). [...]

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