Some cosmetic pesticides allowed under Charlottetown bylaw

The City of Charlottetown released a proposed bylaw to regulate cosmetic pesticides Monday night.

It would ban lawn care companies from spraying commercial-grade pesticides on most lawns,

Some cheered the City's proposed cosmetic pesticides bylaw. More were concerned it doesn't go far enough.

"There should be no pesticide on front lawns. Absolutely nothing," said one woman.

Charlottetown's bylaw would ban commercial-grade pesticides. It is not a full cosmetic pesticide ban, as some were hoping for. The bylaw includes a list of 40 approved substances. Some of those approved pesticides are

• Acetic acid
• Bacillus subtilis QST 713
• Iron (ferrous or ferric) oxide
• Lime sulphur or calcium polysulphide
• Piperene
• Spinosad
• Sulphur
• Verticillium albo-atrum strain WCS850

If the bylaw is passed, only those chemicals on the list could be used on a lawn.

Coun. Bob Doiron said these would be lower risk chemicals, like the ones already available in local garden stores.

"There's two sides of every story," said Doiron.

"This pesticide issue, I live in Sherwood-Parkdale, Ward 6 Mount Edward, I go door-to-door. There's so many for it, so many against it. We're trying to do the right thing here."

Robert Gallant, who was at the meeting representing his lawn care company, urged the city to reject the proposed bylaw. Gallant said many of the commercial grade pesticides are approved by Health Canada.

"They tell us that those cosmetic pesticides are safe," he said.

Gallant said people should Health Canada's science over emotion.

The city's environment committee is meeting Tuesday to discuss the proposed bylaw.

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