The Supreme Court’s recent Hudson decision (Chemlawn et al v. City of Hudson) on the right of municipalities
to control pesticide use has focused the Canadian public’s attention on urban lawn and garden pest management.
We anticipate this attention will result in activists in many of Ontario cities and towns requesting their Council
pass bylaws similar to that in Hudson. The ruling will also stimulate discussion about the safety of lawn care
products and generate false, rhetorical, misleading and sensational news coverage. The fact that pesticides are
medicines for plants, and that products like 2,4-D (our most common broad leaf herbicide) are less toxic than
common household cleaners, gasoline, and paints is not generally known. 2,4-D is scientifically proven to be a
non-carcinogen. It does not cause birth defects, nor does it lead to genetic cell mutations. Activists continue to
refer to DDT which is a product which has not be on the market for over 25 years, and which was never used for
urban landscape purposes.
Landscape Ontario believes in strict regulation of the products on a National level and rigorous standards and
legislation for commercial users on a Provincial level. Regulations should be based on science, not politics, scare
tactics, or activism. According to Ken Pavely Landscape Ontario’s Healthy Lawn co-ordinator municipal bans will
lead to a patchwork series of regulations which will be impossible to enforce.
Present municipal restrictions on Pesticide use in Hudson Quebec and Halifax do not reduce pesticide use as
intended. The fact that pesticides still remain on retail shelves and are still being purchased in large quantities by
homeowners is a fact that has not generally come forth.
The Ontario landscape industry believes in appropriate regulations and welcomes the movement to increased
awareness and education on the principles of Integrated Pest Management, which is now well defined and
promoted on the web site of Health Canada, and found at www.healthylawns.net.
Landscape Ontario believes that pesticide use can be kept to a minimum through the promotion of good
horticultural practices. The best way to keep a lawn healthy and free of weeds, insects and disease is to pay
attention to proper soil, watering, cutting heights, nutrition, aeration and overseeding. Pesticides should never be
used in isolation of these horticultural practices and should only used when necessary.
Our members are all fully licensed by the Ontario Ministry of Environment. Every commercial applicator in
Ontario has passed an examination and a practical test before being allowed to apply pesticides. Landscape
Ontario complete position on pesticide use can be found on www.landscapeontario.com.
