The Canadian province of Ontario has just passed a pesticide ban that by next spring would prohibit the use of more than 80 ingredients and 300 pesticide products across the province. However, many greens and public-health advocates have decried the just-passed legislation, saying it could ultimately end up damaging public health. The major problem with the ban, critics say, is that it forbids towns and cities in the province from enacting stricter pesticide laws. What’s more, the ban would not apply to farming, forestry, or golf courses. Public-interest groups were initially supportive of the measure, but they were misled by the province’s premier who said in April that municipalities would still be able to enact stricter rules under the ban. He later admitted that wasn’t the case. “We … applauded what we thought was a step forward to protect people from these poisonous chemicals,” said Wendy Fucile, of the Registered Nurses’ Association of Ontario. “But today, we see what the province’s legislation actually means is that municipalities will be stripped of their tough municipal bylaws to protect people.”
