Call to Action! Let's Educate Ourselves About Pesticides!

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by David Neufeld

Do you pay attention to which pesticides your municipality is using on your local public land – parks, ditches, etc.? This is the time to perk up and speak up. And to share this with your friends.
A disposal site for pesticide containers in Manitoba. PLT photo
Every spring our municipalities publish Public Notices on Pesticides – telling us which insecticides, herbicides and rodenticides they plan on using this summer. The notices are appearing in local papers now – as they do every spring around this time. Some names you’ll recognise – like Malathion, but mostly you won’t know what they’re talking about. Therein lies the problem. Manitoba Conservation gives us 15 days from the date of notice to comment on specific pesticide programs and specific products being used. Of course they don’t give us any links to information on the products - and - they make it difficult for us to comment by only giving us a postal address in the notices. There’s mounting independently-researched evidence on negative side-effects to our water, aquatic life and human health of many of the products used.

I’ve been given permission to circulate the following contact information – so you can choose how to send your message. And please do – at least let the Manitoba Department of Conservation (Environment) know you want to be better informed and have more public involvement in decisions on which products they approve and how they are used in our public spaces. And, copy your municipality’s office with your letter. 

 Manitoba Conservation. Pesticide Section                                    Randy.webber@gov.mb.ca  204.945.7107.                                                            
 Box 80 – 160 – 123 Main Street,                                                                

Comments

John Fefchak said…
First of all, There has to be a name Change to the department involved.
For it certainly isn't "Conservation". Is it?
How about this:

"The Department of Devastation"….For that is what it is, when it comes to using Pesticides.
All In Favour. Pass.

February 10, 2014 at 5:40 PM
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