February 8, 2008

Chemicals for lawn are safe, group says
Association asserts studies have shown products don't cause cancer
The Guardian

A group representing companies that produce lawn- care chemicals says pesticides are safe, they do not cause cancer and they should not be banned on Prince Edward Island.
The Canadian Consumer Specialty Products Association (CCSPA) represents more than 40 Canadian companies that make soaps, detergents, personal insect repellents and lawn-care products. The membership includes names such as Procter & Gamble, S.C. Johnson, and Unilever Canada.

Maritimers support lawn pesticides ban, says survey
January 15, 2008
CBC News

More than two-thirds of Maritimers support the idea of a ban on cosmetic pesticides, according to a survey commissioned by the Canadian Cancer Society.

The survey showed 69 per cent of Maritimers who were queried agreed with the idea of a ban. Support for the ban was particularly strong on Prince Edward Island, with 75 per cent in favour.

Dawn Binns, executive director of the P.E.I. branch of the Cancer Society, said the survey is an effort to show politicians how people feel about cosmetic pesticides.

Pesticides safe as possible, says advocate
Last Updated: Wednesday, December 12, 2007 | 12:26 PM AT
CBC News

A legislative committee looking into the use of cosmetic pesticides on P.E.I. heard its first arguments in support of lawn chemicals Tuesday.

Last week's public hearing only heard from people supporting a provincial ban.

This week, Donna Houghton, a toxicologist with Crop Life Canada — an organization that represents pesticide manufacturers — told the committee that while pesticides carry risks, they are in line with other risks people take daily.

Cosmetic pesticides denounced at public hearing
Last Updated: Thursday, December 6, 2007 | 11:21 AM AT
CBC News

The use of cosmetic pesticides found little support at the first public hearing of a legislative committee in Charlottetown Wednesday.

The MLA committee, chaired by Alan MacIsaac, has been asked to report to the legislature in the spring on the implications of a province-wide ban on cosmetic pesticides. The only mention of support for their use came by way of unidentified letter read aloud by committee chair Alan MacIsaac.

Farmer evicted after spraying pesticide near school
Last Updated: Thursday, November 22, 2007 | 3:02 PM AT
CBC News

P.E.I.'s Eastern School District is taking back land it had been leasing to a local farmer after pesticide was blown on to a playground by high winds Friday.

Parent Stephen Bryanton was astonished to learn that pesticides were being sprayed on a field so close to Englewood School in Crapaud, west of Charlottetown.

"There should have been strict guidelines that were adhered to and followed," Bryanton said.

...

$5,000 fine for pesticide spill
Last Updated: Tuesday, May 1, 2007 | 9:59 AM AT
CBC News

A farm in Kinkora, P.E.I., has been fined $5,000 after its owners pleaded guilty to illegally discharging a pesticide.

'The big thing … is that we don't give up until we get the spill response team.' — John Clements, province of P.E.I.

The court heard Monday that agricultural chemicals leaked out of a sprayer for hours in Millvale, south of Cavendish, before a cleanup began.

Emerald Isle Holdings and the Crown attorney presented an agreed statement of fact to the provincial court.

Blueberry grower fined $1,000 for pesticide infraction
Last Updated: Friday, June 15, 2007 | 10:06 AM AT
CBC News

A prominent blueberry grower has been fined $1,000 for allowing migrant workers on his Mount Stewart-area farm to apply pesticides without proper certification, the first such incident in P.E.I., according to the provincial Environment Department.

Pesticides could be killing lobster larvae
Last Updated: Thursday, November 29, 2007 | 7:13 AM AT
CBC News

A government researcher in New Brunswick has found that agricultural pesticides can kill lobster larvae, but whether that's happening in the wild is still in question.

'We're not trying to paint anything here as the one factor.'— Wayne Fairchild, DFO scientist

Wayne Fairchild, a scientist with the Department of Fisheries and Oceans in Moncton, is close to publishing results of laboratory research.

Insecticide use up nearly 40% on P.E.I.
Volume of pesticides declines
Last Updated: Tuesday, October 23, 2007 | 10:24 AM AT
CBC News

A return to keeping records of pesticide use on P.E.I. shows insecticide use has increased but the amount of pesticides used on the Island has declined, roughly matching a decline in hectares under cultivation.

Provincial records show more than 718,410 kilograms of pesticides were sold on P.E.I. in 2006. That's 11.8 per cent less than was purchased in 2002, while hectares under cultivation dropped 10.8 per cent.

Last updated at 12:54 AM on 04/10/07

WAYNE THIBODEAU
The Guardian

The P.E.I. government is examine the possibility of establishing one-kilometre buffer zones around Island schools to ensure pesticide sprays stay at bay.
Green Party Leader Sharon Labchuk pitched the idea during a meeting with cabinet ministers Wednesday.
Labchuk met with Health Minister Doug Currie, Education Minister Gerard Greenan and Environment Minister George Webster.

P.E.I. wants time on cosmetic pesticides
Last Updated: Wednesday, August 15, 2007 | 7:01 AM AT
CBC News

Prince Edward Island's new Liberal government says it needs time to study the pros and cons of giving municipalities the power to ban cosmetic pesticides.

The previous government was ready to allow the municipalities to take charge on cosmetic pesticides.The previous government was ready to allow the municipalities to take charge on cosmetic pesticides.
(CBC)

From the CBC:

Pesticide rules too stringent, says farmer
Last Updated: Friday, June 22, 2007 | 11:41 AM AT
CBC News

P.E.I.'s pesticide rules make it almost impossible for foreign workers to apply pesticides to fields, a farmer is complaining.

'Hopefully, this new government will take a look at this.'— Blueberry farmer John MacDonald

The rules say people applying pesticides must be able to read the instructions on the label, and since those instructions are in English, many foreign workers are unable to do the work.

Here is a great article from the Globe and Mail.

Pesticides are what is killing our kids'
Rural PEI is an unlikely hotbed of rare cancers, and one doctor has made it his mission to raise awareness about the potential health hazard posed by pesticides used on the region's potato farms. It's a controversial viewpoint, reports MARTIN MITTELSTAEDT, but it has spurred the province to launch a probe

MARTIN MITTELSTAEDT

From Wednesday's Globe and Mail

December 6, 2006 at 4:36 AM EST

Reading on the PEI CBC Website a story about pesticide spill and the concerns the neighbors have about not being informed of the spill. Here are a couple snippetts from the story.

Some residents of Millvale, P.E.I., want to know why they weren't told about an alleged pesticide spill in their area in September.

A farm corporation has been charged with discharging a pesticide, pesticide solution or mixture from equipment in a manner not permitted by the manufacturer's label. The farm corporation has pleaded not guilty to the charge.