Parents still seeking pesticide ban

Katherine Mortimer - Vernon Morning Star Published: August 15, 2009 12:00 PM

A Vernon parent is wondering why school playing fields are still being sprayed with pesticides as communities across the country have discontinued using chemicals to control weeds.In a presentation to trustees at last month’s district board meeting, Kerry Bokenfohr explained her concerns about the use of pesticides even as the Canadian Cancer Society has determined they are unsafe.“I was completely shocked to find out they were still doing it,” she said.“I was originally part of a delegation who presented to the board almost eight years ago, so this issue has been a long-standing concern of many parents.”Bokenfohr said there are now 154 cities and towns across Canada with partial or full bans on pesticide use, with most bylaws phased in to educate residents and businesses about less toxic use.

Both Ontario and Quebec now have province-wide legislation in place banning the use and sale of cosmetic pesticides.In March, the North Okanagan-Shuswap School District passed a policy that bans the cosmetic use of pesticides on school property.Bokenfohr said the district’s policy on pesticides/herbicides states that their use will be reviewed every two years.“Back in 2001, we left it with the district and they were going to look at the situation,” she said. “I remember back then, a trustee said kids might trip on weeds. There has been no reported case in North America of someone tripping on a weed and being sued.”

Jerilyn Kiely is community action co-ordinator with the Canadian Cancer Society, Interior Region.In her presentation to the board, she said the society is calling for a ban on the cosmetic use of pesticides on private and public lands.“The Canadian Cancer Society does not come out with a position unless it’s backed by research, and in this case, there’s enough research out there that says precautions need to be taken,” she said.“It mirrors the way things were with the tobacco industry, a long time ago people were making links with tobacco and cancer and here we are, all these years later, and the whole issue of tobacco is still not over.“Once again we have a substance that is widely used, with increasing evidence linking exposure to certain cancers, and where use is known to adversely impact innocent bystanders, particularly pregnant women and children.” Much like current fears of unemployment and loss of business by lawn care companies, widespread fear by bar and restaurant owners led to their opposition of tobacco bans.Much like current fears of unemployment and loss of business by lawn care companies, widespread fear by bar and restaurant owners led to their opposition of tobacco bans.“Today we know that the opposite is true. Restaurants and bars have adapted and today we all enjoy a tobacco-free meal when dining out.”

In her presentation, Kiely cited several studies linking use of pesticides to cancer.She said the International Agency for Research on Cancer, and the U.S. National Toxicology Program 11th Report on Carcinogens report growing evidence linking pesticide exposure with non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma, adult and childhood leukemia, brain cancer, kidney cancer, pancreatic cancer, prostate cancer and some lung cancers.“There are sustainable, non-toxic practices and alternatives for cosmetic pesticides,” she said.“Education and outreach programs alone, without legislation restricting use and sales, have been shown to achieve, at best, a 24 per cent reduction in pesticide use, whereas education coupled with a restriction such as a bylaw has been shown to achieve up to a 90 per cent reduction in pesticide use.”

School board chairman Bill Turanski said the district has been reducing its pesticide use each year.“So we’re moving in the right direction, but the ideal thing would be to have a policy that is reflective throughout the greater Vernon community,” he said.“An integrated policy would be ideal. MacDonald Park is a City of Vernon facility, so we don’t govern it, but it’s used as a playing field by Seaton school students.”Turanski said the policy will be reviewed next year, with feedback from the district’s partner groups: CUPE, the Vernon Teachers’ Association and DPAC.

“We have a brand-new board, so it’s just one of the things we haven’t had time to review,” he said. “We’ve met with the City of Vernon, the Village of Lumby and in each case, part of our discussions have been to determine which direction they are moving in.“We can’t act in isolation; many of our playing fields are in the City of Vernon and obviously their policy will reflect on ours.”

Green Velvet Lawns Ltd. has been contracted for many years by the district to handle its spray needs, but owner Joel Campbell said over the years, the method of application has changed.“We no longer spray a whole field, we do maybe a couple of patches of clover and dandelions and leave the rest,” he said. “We keep the patches under control.”Campbell said his company has not received any orders to spray this summer. When the order comes in, it’s only after the district has put together a technical program that maps a field and breaks it into zones.“It gives you a threshold where weeds are under control,” he said. “If you can keep it from becoming a major problem, that’s what we try and do. So they isolate a section, rather than having us spray a whole field.”Campbell said the pesticide used is Par III, which he said has been deemed safe by both Health Canada and the Pest Management Regulatory Association.“Any product we use is deemed safe for weed control on fields, you can re-enter once it’s dry but we put out the signs for no entry for a few days, as per WCB regulations,” he said.“Canada has one of the strictest regulations in the world regarding the use of pesticides. They have products in the U.S. that we can’t use in Canada.”Campbell said while there are methods of weed-control that don’t require the use of pesticides, they require both budget and manpower.“You need people to pull the weeds, and then you’re constantly having to aerate, top-dress and over-seed,” he said.“The school district has just had budget cuts, so when you’re dealing with cuts, you can’t be putting out more money for something like this.”

Kiely said she is optimistic, that the tide is already beginning to turn.“It used to be cool and sophisticated to smoke, so it’s about changing the mind set,” she said. “It’s not cool to have a lawn that looks like a golf course.“One of the big arguments that the industry uses is if Health Canada approves it, then it’s safe to use. Chemical companies have lobbyists, and we know we’re doing our job because the pesticide industry is fighting back.”