Cosmetic pesticide vote scheduled by Summerside council

Summerside city councillors will vote again next month on whether to introducea bylaw controlling cosmetic pesticides.

The council voted down a bylaw last November, but agreed to revisit the issue this fall.

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At a special meeting of council Tuesday night Trent Williams, the city's horticulturalist, presented three options to council.

• Keep the status quo. No new bylaw.
• Adopt a partial ban, similar to those in Charlottetown, Cornwall and Stratford.
• Create a bylaw of its own.

Williams is hoping council will be in favour of the third option, which would see the municipality work with Plant Health Atlantic Council, a New Brunswick based non-profit, to develop a more aggressive approach to limiting cosmetic pesticide use.

"We have an opportunity to have a really unique, environmentally sustainable bylaw," said Williams.

No preventative spraying

Under a specially-created bylaw third-party spraying would be allowed only in the case of an infestation, said Williams.

Any third party applying cosmetic pesticides would have to be approved by Plant Health Atlantic, and would only be permitted to do so on 40 per cent of the property.

"As far as the 100 per cent, all out ban, it's pretty close," said Williams.

"We're keeping a very close eye on how pesticides are used in our community and looking to make sure our community is very environmentally sustainable and citizens are protected and safe."

Easier enforcement

Companies wishing to spray in the city would be required to have integrated pest management accreditation and be registered with the City of Summerside.

Williams said this would make enforcement easier and less expensive, as monitoring would be the role of the accredited companies.

The third option would also put an end to blanket spraying.

"I think people in general are starting to become more receptive to that, and that's a good thing," said Williams.

Council had the option to vote on how to move forward at the meeting, but decided instead to table the vote until next month to give councillors more time to weigh the three options.

A new bylaw on the use of cosmetic pesticides would not come into effect until 2017.

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