Will province grant municipalities’ request?

Until recently, vanquishing the dandelion was a relatively simple task. A blast of 2, 4-D did the trick.

And if chinch bugs invaded your lawn, there were pesticides out there designed for destruction of those suckers, too.

But chemicals that kill weeds and bugs also have an impact on pets and people, especially small people.

The Ontario College of Family Physicians reports consistent links between pesticides and serious illnesses such as cancer, reproductive problems, and neurological diseases. Children are particularly vulnerable to pesticides.

In Halifax, a bylaw restricting the use of pesticides and herbicides for cosmetic purposes has been on the books since 2000, with 2003 being the first year the restrictions applied to all residential and municipal properties. That move came after the province granted Halifax the right to regulate the use of pesticides.

Under the municipal government act, Halifax is the only regional municipality with the power to ban pesticides on publicly and privately owned properties.

That doesn’t mean that smaller communities are ignoring the issue.

In Digby, town council last February established a pesticide committee with councilors Danny Harvieux, Sherri Lewis, and Mike Bartlett.

Committee members sent a flyer to every home in town with information and a request for feedback. They also added a short questionnaire to the town website. To date there have been 31 responses, with the majority wanting to see an end to the cosmetic use of pesticides in Digby.

Last October, Digby’s pesticide committee hosted a public meeting where Wolfville mayor Bob Stead outlined his town’s anti-pesticide campaign.

Stead said a survey in Wolfville last year found 83 per cent of respondents opposed to the use of pesticides.

This month in Truro, the town passed a bylaw requiring homeowners and companies applying pesticides to residential properties to first obtain a permit. Residents who have sensitivities (and who have registered this fact with the town) must be notified when pesticides are applied.

Other municipalities have chosen to delay action until they can legally propose bylaws managing pesticide use.

If the provincial government is listening to the municipalities, the change should come soon.

Last fall, the Union of Nova Scotia Municipalities passed a resolution asking the province to let all municipalities manage or ban the use of non-essential pesticides on residential and municipal properties.

The next session of the House begins April 24.