Momentum against glyphosate spraying picks up

Opponents of glyphosate spraying say they feel they have momentum on their side.

In the last two weeks, the municipalities of UpperMiramichi, Moncton, andPetitcodiachave all started to question the practice of spraying glyphosate in their jurisdictions.

It's really exploded the last month or so. Theissue has really, really, exploded.-Caroline Lubbe-D'arcy, glyphosateopponent

The mayor of Moncton has even gone so far to request a ban on spraying near parts of the city's watershed.

Glyphosate opponentsare comparing their efforts to early protests against fracking protests that eventually pressuredthe New Brunswick Liberalsintomakinga campaign promise to place of a moratorium on fracking.

That later became a full ban.

Many opposed to spraying are hoping that glyphosate spraying, like fracking before it, will become an election issue.

Caroline Lubbe-D'arcy, an organizer of the group Stop Spraying New Brunswick, is convinced the spraying willwillbe 'an election issue' next year.

"We'vegot over 30,000, probably close to 35,000 signatures collected now," she said. "Our petition is ongoing, there is more and more people joining every day.

"We've just gained about 2,000 members on our Facebook group alone, and the signs ... we're selling signs like crazy. It's really exploded the last month or so. The issue has really, really, exploded."

Comfortable with the risk

Many concernedwith the herbicide sprayingare pleased to see a shift in the dialogueto the political sphere, but some working inindustries thatuse glyphosate believe elected officials are content with spraying glyphosate for forest management.

"We trust in theprocess, ourdecision makers will make the right decisions, "said Jason Killam, chief forester for JD Irving Ltd.

"There'sa lot of good information that all of these products are approved by Health Canada. There's long-term studies. And at the end of the day, decision-makers seem to be comfortable with therisk."

New Brunswick's Department of Environment and Local Government approves the use of glyphosate-based herbicides in the province and says that whenit isheavily diluted with water it is essentially non-toxic.

But that doesn't seem to satisfy some municipalities.Along with thosethathavegiven the groups a hearing, municipalities such asKedgwick have seenStop Spraying New Brunswick signs plastered across their communities.

"I don't know of any one NewBrunswicker,outside of industry,that actually wants glyphosate spraying here," saidLubbe-D'arcy.

Banned in some places

Glyphosate products are used for crop management, as well as forestry across Canada, but bans on the material have popped up in recent years.

Califonia recently placed glyphosate on its list of cancer-causing chemicals. Three yearsagoManitobabanned some glyphosate products. NovaScotiastoppedpubliclyfunded glyphosateuse, and Quebec banned herbicide use altogether on Crown land in 2001.

In 2015 glyphosate was deemed "probably carcinogenic to humans" by the International Agency for Research on Cancer.

But any bans on glyphosateuse have always beenbased on politics,accordingtoDoug Pitt, a retired research scientist who worked with the Canadian Forest Service and is a chanpion of spraying.

"Take Quebec, for example. They've chosen not to use herbicides on their public lands and that's a political decision, and there's no science supporting that decision."