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The owner of a lawn maintenance company in Regina says he’s concerned about a report being prepared by the city and the University of Regina.
During an April 20 meeting, city council directed administration to prepare a report that would look into the exploration of what would happen if the city eliminated the usage of cosmetic pesticides on lawns.
The report would specifically look at how the elimination of cosmetic pesticides would protect the city’s biodiversity, especially birds and pollinators like bees and butterflies.
It would also look at a summary of the regulation and best practices in Canada to maintain green spaces and yards without the usage of cosmetic pesticides.
Weed Pro’s Marc Russell says banning cosmetic pesticides would greatly affect his business.
“I use cosmetic pesticides to treat my customers’ lawns,” he said. “I’ve looked into alternatives thinking this might come my way and the alternatives aren’t good options. They don’t work to control weeds and they’re very costly and my customers would end up having to pay more for poor results.”
Russell pointed to Ontario and Manitoba, both of which have banned the use of cosmetic pesticides on lawns. He says lawns in those provinces have been greatly affected.
Recently, Manitoba’s government started working on removing its pesticide ban.
Russell said all pesticides are approved by Health Canada, adding they go through a rigorous testing process and feels Health Canada should be the ones making the final call and not the city.
“Health Canada regulates pesticides. They’ve done their research. They have over 350 experts who can study these things,” Russell explained.
“The science shows that it is safe. If the pesticide ban comes to Regina, our city parks are going to go downhill. There are no alternative products to use. Homeowners who care about their lawn would probably find a way to go and use the product anyway. It would be a very hard ban to regulate and enforce.”
Russell said there are various other lawn care companies who are also against this study being compiled by the city.
The study won’t be presented to council until early 2023.
