'What's the point?': Charlottetown resident concerned about pesticide ban exemptions

A Charlottetown resident is concerned that the cosmetic pesticide ban Charlottetown put into action on Jan. 1 of this year isn't going far enough.

Mark Carr-Rollitt said that he has always been against cosmetic pesticides and thought the ban would stop their use.

"I've never liked it, but there was not really anything I could do about it before because there wasn't a pesticide ban," he said.

"I thought that this year that would be different."

City bylaw

Deputy Mayor Mike Duffy, who is also the chair of the environment and sustainability committee, said that citizens can apply for exemptions to the bylaw.

The city will send out a technician to inspect the lawn for an infestation of insects.

Duffy said that inspectors determine whether or not one of the 40 allowable pesticides under the bylaw will be strong enough to deal with the problem.

If the threshold for infestation is met, and the allowable substances won't get rid of the insects, the city can approve a licensed applicator to use a banned substance.

Four specific insects — the hairy chinch bug, the European crane fly, sob webworms and white grubs — are named in the bylaw along with the concentration in an area that would constitute an infestation.

'Look at other ways'

Carr-Rollitt said his main concern is that chemicals used to kill insects may also harm bees.

"It doesn't really make sense to me to spray something on a lawn to keep it green and kill pollinators," he said.

He said that there also needs to be alternatives to pesticides to help control bugs.

"Not only do you have to ban chemicals, but you also have to look at other ways to manage lawns and gardens and other things," he said.

"It would be a lot of work and you'd have to figure out a strategy to do it."

'No sense whatsoever'

Duffy said that citizens may be getting the wrong idea, thinking the city is approving exemptions more than they actually are.

The City has received 130 requests, about one per cent of the houses in Charlottetown according to Duffy, and he doesn't think people would apply unless it was necessary.

"If you don't have an infestation, there is no sense whatsoever in, you know, hiring somebody for $175 to spray this highly toxic chemical," he said. 

"Sure it will get rid of your bug but it will also probably get rid of a lot of other things you probably weren't planning on getting rid of."

'What's the point?'

Duffy said that the bylaw is a "living document" and that citizens should bring any concerns to city hall, so when it is reviewed in the fall any complaints will be brought up during the discussion.

He said that since the city is in its first year of the ban he hopes residents will be patient.

"Our main goal is the health and you know safety of the residents, the pets the children of the neighbourhood," he said.

"We just don't want the willy-nilly use of very strong toxic chemicals."

Carr-Rollitt said he is hoping the City takes a stronger stance on pesticides.

"I just think that if we're going to have a cosmetic ban then we ought to have one," he said.

"Otherwise what's the point?"

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