NDP to delay bill that ends pesticide ban

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This article was published 22/04/2022 (1427 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

A ban on cosmetic weed killers will not be lifted in time for summer after the NDP decided to hold up amendments to the province’s Environment Act.

NDP Leader Wab Kinew said his party will hold over Bill 22 — The Environment Amendment Act — until the fall sitting. The Opposition can choose up to five bills to delay until the fall.

Kinew said Manitobans need more time to review the proposed legislation, which would allow consumers, companies and municipalities to use federally regulated, synthetic pesticides on their lawns, boulevards and on other public green spaces.

“Last year we were successful in delaying Bill 64 (The Education Modernization Act) long enough so that a groundswell in the form of teachers, educational assistants, parents and even students stood up and defeated that very harmful bill,” Kinew said at a news event held at a South Osborne natural wine bar, whose owners oppose the use of pesticides.

“Now we’re hoping to be able to marshal a similar community response this year to try and tap into the concerns, and the hopes that Manitobans have around the future of our province to send a message that we want a clean, a safe, and a healthy future for our kids,” he said.

A suite of synthetic chemicals has been prohibited for sale and cosmetic use in Manitoba since 2014, when the former NDP government passed legislation to reduce exposure to pesticides. Pesticides can be used for agricultural purposes, forestry and for the maintenance of golf courses.

The Association of Manitoba Municipalities opposes the ban, saying permitted products are more costly and less effective; municipalities are forced to apply weed-control products repeatedly to achieve the same result as banned chemicals.

“This is very disappointing for us to hear that it’s going to be delayed and we’re very concerned,” association president Kam Blight said. “The public consultation has taken place, there’s been a lot of debate over the last number of years… and I go back to all the rigorous Health Canada review processes that have already taken place.”

Blight said the proposed legislation will give municipalities flexibility while expanding restrictions on the use of synthetic chemicals in sensitive areas.

The use of select chemicals would be prohibited at schools, hospitals and child care centres, municipal playgrounds, picnic areas, dog parks and provincial parks.

“Bottom line for us is these chemicals, these pesticides, have gone through rigorous amounts of testing and they have been proven to be safe,” Blight said.

NDP environment critic Lisa Naylor said the government needs to hear from Manitobans again because public engagement that informed the bill is out of date and was misleading. The government conducted consultations between July and September 2016.

“The right kind of consultation hasn’t been done,” Naylor said.

St. Boniface Hospital emergency medicine physician Dr. Paul Doucet, local cider producer Jesse Oberman and St. James parent Yanik Sourisseau also joined Naylor and Kinew to urge Manitobans to oppose Bill 22.

All three said the current legislation is sound, scientifically based public policy.

“Such a move would once again make lawns, parks, boulevards and other green spaces into sources of pesticide exposure, defeating the goal of reducing human exposure,” Doucet said, noting there is a robust body of scientific literature highlighting the risks of pesticides.

“If there is one thing that Bill 22 says, (it) is that dandelion-free lawns are more important than the health and safety of our children,” Sourisseau said. “We’re talking about the appearance of grass.”

In a statement, Environment Minister Jeff Wharton said the NDP chose “ideology over science” in its decision to hold back Bill 22.

“All pesticides sold or used in Manitoba are federally approved under The Pest Control Products Act,” Wharton said. “Health Canada ensures that pesticide products do not present unacceptable risks to Canadians and the environment.”

The Opposition has until Monday to designate bills it will hold over the summer break.

Kinew said he is concerned with the Progressive Conservative’s legislative agenda as it relates to the environment, health care, affordability, and Manitoba Hydro.

danielle.dasilva@freepress.mb.ca