It’s about time.
The provincial government finally announced this week it’s going to take some pressure off municipalities by banning the cosmetic use of pesticides across the province.
Like banning smoking in public places, this move has been a no-brainer for some time. Because this is about health and the environment, it’s always been a provincial issue, if not a federal one.
Yet, the province waited for municipalities to wade into the thorny issue with 125 Ontario municipalities deciding to pass their own anti-pesticide bylaws as Queen’s Park dithered.
That created a patchwork.
For instance, across Lake Simcoe in Georgina residents will care for their lawns and gardens under a new bylaw this spring. Here in Innisfil there are still no restrictions on what you put on your lawn to battle weeds and pests.
Knowing the tide was changing in favour of regulation, Innisfil struck a pesticide committee last summer. But when the McGuinty Liberals announced during last fall’s election it would tackle the pesticide issue, the committee took a wait and see approach.
With Tuesday’s announcement, the committee is expected to disband.
But that doesn’t mean Innisfil property owners should continue spraying their lawns as usual. The provincial ban isn’t expected to come into effect until Spring 2009, but now is the time to get started.
Why not kick the chemical habit this year, just as our neighbours in Georgina are doing. It makes more sense to get used to creating pesticide-free lawns and gardens this summer, instead of waiting for the provincial ban. It’s even more important, and always has been, for residents who live in Lake Simcoe’s watershed.
Harmful chemicals, not to mention phosphorous-loaded fertilizers, make their way in to the lake through run-off.
Get used to it. Ontario’s legislation is expected to be the toughest in North America, which means banned pesticides will be coming off store shelves and lawn care companies will no longer be able to use them.
Kicking the chemical fix for your lawn may be inconvenient at first, but soon you’ll have little choice.
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