Good afternoon Councillors, staff,  members of the retail and lawn care industries, media, and ladies and gentlemen in the gallery,

My name is Glenda Whiteman and I am pleased to make a presentation today on behalf of Concerned Residents of Winnipeg.  (If in fact someone else is reading this presentation on behalf of CROW today, it is because I was unable to return in time from a funeral this afternoon.  Thank you for allowing Shelagh Pizey-Allen to read this in my place.)  This presentation can be found on our website, with a long list of resources for the committee and for industry, at CROWinc.org and the link has been sent to members of the committee.

I thank the City of Winnipeg for acknowledging the need to hold these hearings. I appreciate making this particular presentation and hope it will be helpful. You have heard testimony for the past day and a half about how badly human, animal, and ecosystem health is affected by pesticides, so I am not going to repeat any of that again. Besides, you have heard me tell you all that before, and I know that by now you are convinced we have ourselves in a bit of a mess. So, I am going to dedicate my remaining 9 and a half minutes to helping you find the way to lead us all out of this mess.

A pesticide by-law should be tailored to be easily understood by residents and have its enforcement preceded by a Public Education/Social Marketing Campaign. Across the country, evidence shows this is the most effective way to reduce pesticide use. 1  Evidence also shows that industry can make more money, not less, doing things the right way.  Why not make Winnipeg the healthiest city in Canada?

• Lead the way.  We are on the cusp of a paradigm shift 2:  human health outweighs our selfish desire to extinguish unwanted pests, be they insects or so-called “weeds”

• Institute a media advertising campaign, use Winnipeg Transit advertising
  

• Encourage the media to buy in.  Invite columnists and well-known Winnipegers to promote the concept of a Healthy Winnipeg; provide special awareness seminars for media

• Provide brochures, fact sheets, lawn signs, technical resources on pesticide-free lawn and garden maintenance

• Have kiosks at special events

• Provide information/workshops about sustainable gardening, landscape maintenance and non-toxic pest management on the City website and telephone inquiry line

• Winnipeg loves to compete; Sponsor a “Safe Lawn Competition” among corporate Winnipeg,
  along the lines of Communities in Bloom. And/or to reduce fertilizer use, call it “Save the Lake”

• Have a similar competition between neighbourhoods; wouldn't it be nice if no more teenagers died of leukemia in Lindenwoods?
  
  

• Collaborate with existing community groups, health services and ngo's to develop resources and spread information
  
  
• Acknowledge the role pesticides play in the global climate crisis and make the connection clear to the public

The following items need to be included for a truly effective bylaw:

• Promote healthy communities; teach the public that monoculture lawns and pesticide use are not healthy; start a public education program; encourage voluntary participation prior to enacting the ban

• Collaborate with and encourage retailers and lawn care companies to promote the by-law, promote the sale of safe products, and promote healthy communities.  Make the equation clear, healthy communities don't use pesticides and there's as much or more money to be made by doing things the healthy way.
  

• Provide resources to encourage industry to institute Best Practices (Such as Chip Osborne and James Sottillo, 3  a tree specialist who came to the Earth Day forum last year, he could have helped with your current worm problem: no one came to listen. Too bad, maybe my buffer zone wouldn't have been violated this spring.)

• Lead by Example:

• Have all City Departments learn, practice and model the new industry standard to meet,
  Organic Pest Management 4 like the Massachusetts Town of Marblehead.  I emphasize ALL departments.  I read with some irony that there is no 'political will' to deal with malathion and we're here to talk about lawn and garden products.  Malathion is used as a garden product and in fact, its use on Mark Lubosch's apple tree unfortunately resulted in his dog's demise.  Furthermore, we have more than political will, we have a council decision with unanimous approval from March 2005 to phase out chemicals 5  within three years.  (Let me see, 2005, 2006, 2007...?)   You heard wise and experienced advice yesterday from Dr. Shirley Thompson, model best practices in all departments.
  
  
• Fund this innovative approach with the money you will save on chemicals


• Another model exists, and that is  ICM - "Integrated Cultural Management. 6  ICM is a step closer to organic/ecological lawn care which is the gold standard we should all be aiming for."  Industry will tell you that IPM is good enough, but it's not.  Time has shown that what was once thought to be a method which would reduce dependence on chemicals has not turned out that way, and it is typically interpreted by industry to mean "pesticides used only when necessary" rather than pesticides used "only as a last resort".  They think pesticides are "necessary" for economic reasons.

• Have you sold all the golf courses? If not, then make them all safe, too. Other golf courses have transitioned to pesticide-free greens, and they are very popular.  7

• Prepare the public to accept that the sale and use of pesticides in Winnipeg will not be permitted.  Until the ban comes into effect,  institute the following to prepare the public, industry, and the retail sector to accept it, understand it, and buy into it:
  
  

• emphasize that private property rights do not supercede human rights and pesticides don't read maps

• provide information pamphlets and offer seminars where pesticides and garden products are sold to the public;

• require pesticides be kept under locked cover or behind the counter, like cigarettes (under glass would be best, to protect employees) and AWAY FROM FOOD
  

• require EVERY applicator (including homeowners) to be licensed and tested, prior to purchasing or using pesticides, to provide notification to neighbours in advance, and to post notification signs for a minimum of 3 days prior to and following all applications (signs should clearly show no people; no animals, such as this example: keep off)  8
  

• immediately institute special hazardous materials collections days for pesticides, easily accessible and open daily. Call for all unused, old pesticides to be turned in. As pesticides age, or are affected by extreme temperatures, they can produce breakdown products (such as dioxins) that are far more dangerous, are not tested, are not licensed, etc.

You have the authority:
When considering pesticide use regulations within urban areas, municipalities are closest to the people and in the best position to protect the public interest from unwanted exposure to lawn and garden toxins. This view is supported by the Minister of Health, Honourable Anne McLellan, who stated in the House of Commons 9, on
April 8, 2002, that:

The Minister went on to state:
          "At the same time, citizens of a particular municipality may decide they do not want to have the pesticide
          used in their community no matter how small the risks. They may convince the municipal authorities to 
          establish a bylaw banning all pesticides for a specific use."

Municipal Powers:
More recently your powers were affirmed again, and not only that but summarized and detailed by Sierra Legal Defence who on May 24th, released the document called, The Municipal Powers Report. 10 It offers a primer on the legal clout our cities possess and provides examples of innovative tools being developed across the country to tackle global issues in a local way.  I remind you of the contribution that pesticide use (and lawn maintenance period) make to global climate change.  As you know, human, animal and ecosystem health are interconnected.

Use your authority to craft the best pesticide bylaw the country has seen yet.  Let's make Winnipeg the healthiest city in Canada.  Thank you.

***

1. The Impact of By-Laws and Public Education Programs on Reducing the Cosmetic / Non-Essential,
    Residential Use of Pesticides: A Best Practices Review - This in-depth study, conducted by the Canadian    
    Centre for Pollution Prevention and Cullbridge Marketing and Communications scanned Canada, the                    U.S.A. and Europe for the most effective programmes aimed at reducing residential pesticide use.

2. Winnipeg Free Press Poll from 10 May 2007:
    Do you think the use of so-called "cosmetic pesticides" should be controlled?
    Yes 40% / No 53% / Unsure 7%

3.  Grassroots Environmental Education
 
    Growing Your Busines the Natural Way with Chip Osborne, dvd

    Treewise, James Sotillo

4.  Excerpt from Beyond Pesticides: January 2006:
    The 2001 OPM policy also established an advisory committee to oversee implementation of the policy, requires town    
    employees be trained in accordance with the policy, requires all pesticides currently stored on town-owned property be
    properly disposed through a Hazardous Waste Collection program, and mandates yearly testing of the town's compost.    
    Products approved by the Northeast Organic Farmer's Association (NOFA) Organic Land Care Program or of the
    Organic Materials Review Institute (OMRI), which reviews the allowed inputs for USDA certified organic food, may be         used on town-owned lands.

   Literature Review: Lawn and Order: A Review of the Literature on Effective Strategies for Reducing  
    Outdoor Residential Pesticide Use, Written by Dr. Leslie Jermyn for Toronto Public Health and The
    University of Toronto, December 2005
    http://www.cuhi.utoronto.ca/research/foodrig.html 

    Perception of Urban Pesticide Use Risk (PUrPUR):  A comparison of Halifax, Calgary (and now) London
    (AKA: Yard Care: Resident Views and Practices)
    http://publish.uwo.ca/~jbaxter6/research.html

5.  Excerpt from  Insect Control Strategy:  March, 2005

6.  In 2001, a pre-pilot study of IPM by the Ministry of the Environment (MOE) in Ontario concluded that IPM
     was not effective in reducing pesticides without the full compliance of homeowners.  The IPM pre-pilot study
     in Ontario was such a failure that MOE never went forward with the actual pilot study.  

     On August 18, 2003, at the Association of Ontario Municipalities Congress, the former Ontario Minister of 
     the Environment, Mr. Jim Wilson, was asked about mandatory accreditation of IPM (the industry line). His
     response was to leave the matter to the municipalities (the provincial government does not want to touch it).

     Turf guru, Jim Puhalla advocates going beyond IPM and stated that "Integrated Pest Management (IPM)  
     marked a great leap forward from the previous approach that depended heavily on chemicals, but suggests turf
     managers go another small step forward and adopt ICM - Integrated Cultural Management."  ICM is one step
     closer to organic/ecological lawn care which is the gold standard we should all be aiming for.

      http://CROWinc.org/PDFs/ipm_prepilot_study.pdf

7.  Neighborhood Network/Organic Golf, Massapequa, New York
     http://www.longislandnn.org/golf

    New York Attorney General's Office has a report called
    Toxic Fairways: Risking Groundwater Contamination from Pesticides on Long Island Golf Courses.
    Available at www.oag.state.ny.us/environment/golf95.html

    A resource for organic golf course maintenance from Australia:

and included for your information as Appendix One:

City of Ottawa - Staff Report on Lawn & Garden Pesticides (October 20, 2005)

The following extracts from reports and letters received from these medical professionals, and attached as Document 3, are indicative of their views:
 
Although not entirely definitive, numerous international and medical studies have demonstrated a relationship between pesticide use and Parkinson's disease, birth defects and cancer.  With strong public support for a cosmetic pesticide phase-out, there seems little justification for the City of Ottawa to delay on this important issue, especially since healthy alternatives to pesticides exist. (Dr. Jack Kitts, Chief Executive Officer, The Ottawa Hospital)
 
CHEO sees about 20 new cases/year of acute lymphocytic leukemia (A.L.L.). The methodologically excellent and comprehensive systematic review from the Ontario College of Family Physicians lists 4 studies examining the possibility of an increased risk of childhood A.L.L. with pesticide exposure; all are positive. Another 4 studies looked at childhood brain cancer and pesticides; again all 4 are positive. In total, 63 studies have examined pesticides and childhood illnesses; 55 demonstrate a probable or possible link.  To me when I thought about this as a doctor, as a scientist and as the parent of a five-year old, this was a no-brainer. Even a small risk of harm to children is unacceptable just to spare our lawns from a few weeds.  (Dr. Robin Walker, Professor of Pediatrics, University of Ottawa; Neonatologist at CHEO)
 
Non-essential pesticide use has no health benefit, and may pose a risk to human health. The Canadian Cancer Society is very concerned about the risks that these toxic chemicals pose to the health and safety of Ottawa residents, especially to children and outdoor workers who are involuntarily exposed to these chemicals. (Canadian Cancer Society)
 
I am particularly concerned about evidence linking pesticide exposure to leukemia and other malignancies including prostrate cancer, the most common cancer among Canadian men.  […]  I therefore urge City Council to adopt the "precautionary principle" and enact a pesticide by law similar to those already in place in Halifax, Montreal and Toronto.  Rest assured the medical community, as a whole will support it. (Dr. Hartley Stern, Vice President, The Ottawa Hospital Regional Cancer Clinic)
 
The Children's Hospital of Eastern Ontario supports the phasing-out of the cosmetic use of pesticides in the City of Ottawa.  (Garry Cardiff and CHEO Board of Trustees)
 
In recent years it has become clear from case control and epidemiologic studies that pesticides have a negative impact on human reproduction.  […]  I implore you to take a strong stand in support of a city bylaw that puts a stop to pesticide use for cosmetic purposes in the city of Ottawa.  (Dr. Paul Claman - Director, In-Vitro Fertilization Clinic, Ottawa Hospital; Professor, Department of Obstetrics & Gynecology, University of

DOCUMENT 3
Medical Professionals and Associations
 
Dr. Robin Walker  -  Professor of Pediatrics, University of Ottawa; Neonatologist at CHEO
Dr. Jack Kitts -  Chief Executive Officer, The Ottawa Hospital
Mr. Garry Cardiff -  Chief Executive Officer,  Children's Hospital of Eastern Ontario
Dr. Hartley S. Stern - Vice President, The Ottawa Hospital Regional Cancer Clinic
Dr. Margaret Lawson  -  Chief, Division of Endocrinology and Metabolism;
            Associate Professor, Pediatrics, University of Ottawa
Dr. Alex McKenzie  -  Director of Research Institute, Children's Hospital of Eastern Ontario
Dr. Paul Claman - Director, In-Vitro Fertilization Clinic, Ottawa Hospital; Professor,  
            Department of Obstetrics & Gynecology, University of Ottawa
Dr. Catharine Younger-Lewis, M.D.
Dr. Karen Ferguson
Allergy and Environmental Health Organization
Breast Cancer Action
Canadian Association of Physicians for the Environment (CAPE)
Canadian Cancer Society
Canadian Public Health Associations (CPHA)
Learning Disabilities Association of  Canada
Lymphoma Support Group of Ottawa
Ontario College of Family Physicians
Ontario Medical Association, Pediatric Section
Ontario Public Health Associations (OPHA)
Ottawa Anaphylaxis Support Group
Registered Nurses' Association of Ontario
Women's Health Environments Network
 
 http://ottawa.ca/calendar/ottawa/citycouncil/hrssc/2005/10-20/ACS2005-PGM-POL-0058-Doc3.htm

with acknowledgement to Mike Christie for background information and resources