inspiring canadians to live better.

healthing leaf

inspiring canadians to live better.

healthing leaf
get healthing in your inbox with the morning checkup and weekender newsletter!
home / 世界杯决赛2022

regina city council discusses possible regulation, ban of cosmetic pesticide use

"i do not use pesticides in my own garden, in clients’ gardens, or in community-based projects. pesticides create more harm than good, and simply are not needed."

by jennifer ackerman

mar 17 2022
read time 3 minute read
join the conversation
city council sits in a meeting at henry baker hall which was open to the public for the first time since covid-19 measures where in place on wednesday, march 2, 2022 in regina. kayle neis / regina leader-post
ten delegations presented to city council wednesday in support of a motion asking administration to explore regulation and a possible ban on cosmetic pesticide use in regina.

among them was paule hjertaas, president and spokesperson of the saskatchewan network for alternatives to pesticides (snap).

hjertaas founded snap after suffering what she called “severe” health issues related to pesticide exposure. it is this health condition that inspired her to become an advocate for alternatives to pesticides.
“councillor stadnichuk’s motion is striking in that it does not question the effects of pesticides on wildlife, pets, people and the environment. it states them as facts,” she said to council. “it also builds on regina’s current commitment to environmental sustainability, health, and well-being through its to official community plan.”
presentations from other concerned residents showed a passion and drive to address the issue of unregulated pesticides in the queen city. council heard concerns about negative impacts watersheds, greenhouse gas emissions in the production of pesticides, and that instructions for pesticides are difficult to understand, potentially leading to overuse. many offered help and expertise.
powered by
canadian centre for caregiving excellence

advertisement

phil johnson is a certified organic master gardener, and accredited practitioner member of the society for organic urban landcare, a national organization. he offers professional gardening advice and assistance to private homeowners. he also advises and assists community groups with gardening and landcare projects.
“i do not use pesticides in my own garden, in clients’ gardens, or in community-based projects. pesticides create more harm than good, and simply are not needed,” johnson said during wednesday’s meeting.
the motion calls for a review of the research on how the elimination of cosmetic pesticides protects biodiversity, especially birds and pollinators like bees and butterflies. it also asks for a summary of the regulation and best practices in canada to maintain green spaces and yards without non-essential pesticides and feedback from the public through community engagement on a ban.
lastly, it asks that recommendations and implications of implementing such a ban, along with the funding need for public education and communications plan that includes information on safe alternatives and best practices for maintaining yards, gardens and parks.
“we have no control over what is used, how often it is used, what the concentration of it is and whether or not its near children, in ours parks,” coun. cheryl stadnichuk (ward 1) said as she introduced the motion wednesday.
powered by
obesity matters

advertisement

she said the motion only commits to getting more information and asked her fellow councillors what harm there was in that.
but considering the broad scope of motion, coun. bob hawkins (ward 2) asked council to table it until administration could provide an estimate of the person-hours and cost to fulfill the motion. the motion will come back to council in three to four weeks time for further discussion and a vote.

also at city council

council also approved amendments to the regina water bylaw to implement enhancements to the lead service connection (lsc) management program approved by council in may 2021.

this includes mandatory replacement of the private lscs when the public side is replaced. in cases where replacement occurs due to an emergency break on the city’s side, property owners will have 60 days to replace the private side.

it also includes five- and 10-year payment plan options for residents who need financial accommodations and a clause that outlines the penalties for failure to pay.

despite these changes to the lsc replacement program, residents have continued to criticize the city’s approach, calling for a shorter time frame to complete replacements and to consider cost-sharing replacements with residents.

advertisement

recommendations made through a review of the city’s heritage building rehabilitation program were also approved unanimously by council wednesday.

among the changes are an increase in financial incentives to rehabilitate heritage properties, elimination of the grade 1 and 2 classification system, and more.
jackerman@postmedia.com
want to know how we decide what to cover and how editorial decisions are made at the regina leader-post and saskatoon starphoenix? get the weekly letter from the editor newsletter from the editor in chief russell wangersky and join the discussion on what goes into covering news and delivering commentary, both in print and online. click here to subscribe.

the regina leader-post has created an afternoon headlines newsletter that can be delivered daily to your inbox so you are up to date with the most vital news of the day. click here to subscribe.

with some online platforms blocking access to the journalism upon which you depend, our website is your destination for up-to-the-minute news, so make sure to bookmark leaderpost.com and sign up for our newsletters so we can keep you informed. click here to subscribe.

comments

postmedia is committed to maintaining a lively but civil forum for discussion and encourage all readers to share their views on our articles. comments may take up to an hour for moderation before appearing on the site. we ask you to keep your comments relevant and respectful. we have enabled email notifications—you will now receive an email if you receive a reply to your comment, there is an update to a comment thread you follow or if a user you follow comments. visit our community guidelines for more information and details on how to adjust your email settings.