Pesticide ban coming to Manitoba lawns, not gardens

New legislation was introduced by Canada’s Manitoba government that will eliminate the use of synthetic pesticides on residential lawns, a move applauded by environmental advocates in attendance at a press conference at the Legislature.

The law will also extend to schoolgrounds, playgrounds, playing fields, and health- and child-care centre grounds.

"With this legislation, I'm going to be able to continue to guard against weeds developing all over my lawn with the new replacement products," Conservation Minister Gord Mackintosh said. "People who love their lawns and care for their lawns I know will continue to do that because that's been the experience elsewhere."

The new restrictions, which the province wants to have enacted by January 2015, would not extend to homeowners' gardens or to golf courses. Mackintosh said synthetic products will still be available for purchase if a consumer declares their intentions to use them on gardens and not their lawn.

"What this will do is it will seriously reduce the use of synthetic chemical pesticides as has happened in all the other provinces," Mackintosh said. "When there's a replacement chemical available for treatment on lawns, that will be the go-to treatment now."

Mackintosh said consultations have been ongoing with lawn care companies, many of which are concerned about inflated costs.

Ken Wiebe, co-owner of Eco Green lawn care, told the Sun the costs will be passed on to the customer.

"It's really hard to understand a ban like this. There isn't a health benefit, there's no cost benefit to it; it's just a political thing, 'Hey look what we are doing for the environment,'" he said. "It's all emotional, but it looks good on television."

Gideon Forman, of the Canadian Association of Physicians for the Environment, said results in Ontario show organic products don't necessarily cost more.

"We found that costs were just about the same and, in some cases, the pesticide-free version was actually a little cheaper," said Forman, adding the laws took effect in Ontario in 2009. "Cost wasn't an issue. And the more we roll out the non-toxic products, prices are going to come down, just like anything else."

Mackintosh added there's fines laid out under the federal Environmental Act, but enforcement and penalties have yet to be finalized.

Winnipeg Humane Society CEO Bill McDonald said a pesticide ban has been a Humane Society cause for nearly 20 years.

"Scientific literature is pointing out that the pesticides are being picked up on dogs' paws," McDonald said. "When you have a lawn maintenance company come to your lawn and they spray for weeds, they stick the sign saying don't let your pets or kids on the lawn for 20 minutes. Well, we were always suspicious of that — if it truly is non-toxic, why bother?"

Products that can be found in Manitoba include:

•    Scotts EcoSense Weed B Gon
•    Scotts Turf Builder Lawn Fertilizer with Weed Prevent (corn gluten meal)
•    Vigoro Bio Weed and Feed (corn gluten meal)
•    Scotts EcoSense Pathclear
•    Green Earth Weed and Grass Killer
•    Safer Top Gun
•    Ortho Moss B Gon
•    Wilson Total WipeOut
•    Bioprotec Lawn Herbicide