Edmonton councillors debated Monday a ban on “cosmetic pesticide use” on public and private property.
Part of the motivation behind a potential ban on cosmetic pesticide use is that it “would be one tool to holistically protect and preserve natural systems while balancing livability and aesthetics Edmontonians expect,” an April motion passed by council explained.
A council decision on this would allow the city to pass a bylaw “to restrict certain uses of pesticides for the purposes of the well-being of the environment.”
Sixteen speakers signed up to weigh in on the issue at the Community and Public Services Committee meeting at city hall.
The first eight speakers were all opposed to the proposed ban. Many were individuals who worked in the landscaping and lawn care industry.
Daynen Kapler works with Tru Green. He said 834 clients, in 24 hours on Friday, answered a survey, indicating they were opposed to the proposed pesticide ban.
Gavin Dawson, also with Tru Green, said similar bans in other jurisdictions don’t work and simply shift the responsibility of use from professionals to homeowners. Dawson said, in places like Ontario and Manitoba, that has led to “do-it-yourself” approaches and has created an underground market.
Kyle Schram has worked in the landscaping and lawn care industry for 20 years. He told councillors he’s concerned what this ban would do to his livelihood.
“This would decimate our business.”
He said he’s also seen green spaces in provinces that prohibited these pesticides “go downhill.”
Schram suggested that if the city wanted to take action on certain pesticides, it should push the province to ban the sale of specific products.
Dave Montgomery said he’s been “building and beautifying landscapes in Edmonton” for 30 years, including reclamation and naturalization work. He said the city’s current level of maintenance is “despicable” and “neglected.”
He showed photos of overgrown sports fields, parks, boulevards and storm drains.
“Edmonton is getting uglier,” he said, adding homeowners “don’t want their private property to look like city parks.”
One speaker, Alexia Wagner, described herself as a long-term resident of Edmonton, avid gardener and winner of the city’s Front Yards in Bloom.
She said lawn care products are approved by Health Canada and a possible ban on pesticide use on private property is an “intrusion” by city council. Wagner added that she lives across the street from Gallagher Park and the city’s approach to green space maintenance has left her with many concerns and not a lot of faith.
She described the city park as “severely unmaintained and neglected” and asked the city to “stay in your own lane.”
“I should be allowed to continue to maintain my private property,” Wagner said. “It would be nice if you’d maintain yours.”
In April, city council asked administration to outline steps towards a 2023 elimination of cosmetic pesticide use on public and private properties.
The report would have to include required changes to the city’s pest management policy, community outreach and education, as well as enforcement options.
The city asked that the ban on cosmetic pesticide use be brought in with a phased approach (analysis and planning), outline required resources, budget and that the policy align “with naturalization work currently underway, is based on limited use of pesticides and optimizes the integration of other ecosystem requirements.
Phase one could be completed in under six months, councillors heard, while phase two would require up to nine months to complete.
Phase one would include defining what “cosmetic use” of pesticides is and public engagement sessions and surveys. Phase two would include a legal review and determine the scope of the authority the city has over cosmetic pesticide use on private land.
Kristine Kowalchuk spoke Monday on behalf of Pesticide Free Edmonton. She said that moving forward with the motion will cost a lot of money and a lot of the steps aren’t necessary as they’ve already been completely in recent years, including surveys conduction in 2019. She said that process would delay implementing the cosmetic pesticide ban that was generally supported by councillors in April.
The sentiment that there was no follow through from previous work done by the city was shared by other speakers, including retired physician Raquel Feroe.
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Also in April, council voted 7-4 in favour of doing away with the aerial mosquito control program, which uses a helicopter to drop pesticides into temporary and stagnant water bodies in control areas around Edmonton.
According to the city report, a conceptual preliminary cost estimate for administration to complete Phase I and II is $471,950.
Council heard all community comments on Aug. 8, however, this item will be the first addressed at the next meeting on Aug. 22.
— With files from Meaghan Archer.
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