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Re: The Disappointing Decision on the Neonic Lawsuit

To the Editor of ON Nature,

Further to Anne Bell’s Neonic lawsuit article, the Blue Mountain Watershed Trust Foundation has monitored the use of pesticides applied by seven golf courses in the Collingwood area for over 10 years. The area golf courses are using Class 9 Pesticides and are doing so in the prescribed manner as stated in the Integrated Pest Management Program. The fault as the Watershed Trust sees it is with the present legislation and we have asked the MOECP to look into the following:

  1. Class 9 Pesticides are being used in Ontario where there is no published Provincial Water Quality Objectives. We say that these pesticides should be prohibited until there are guidelines.
  2. Some pesticides are being used that we can find no approved Canadian laboratory that can analyze for them.
  3. Class 9 pesticides used. The report could be as much as 20 months after application. This is far too late for any meaningful corrective action.
  4. There is no requirement for routine monitoring of Class 9 Pesticides by those applying the pesticides.

We have been requesting action on these issues over more than five years.  MOECP continues to say they will review issues #3 & 4 but issues #1 & 2 have never been satisfactorily answered.

These are the questions we have asked dating back over more than five years and they have never been satisfactorily answered.

Our website has further information on this matter watershedtrust.ca

George Powell
Vice Chair Watershed Action Group
Blue Mountain Watershed Trust Foundation
Collingwood, Ontario