Stop Toxic Herbicides on Northern Ontario

From the tradition ecocological knowledge elders group, Tek Elders,

ONTARIO CONTINUES TO SPRAY TOXIC HERBICIDSE ON NORTHERN ONTARIO

Inaccuratly labelled as 'benign" by its users, glyphosate is a broad-spectrum, non selective, systemic herbicide used to kill unwanted foliage, especially annual broadleaf weeds and grasses known to compete with commerical crops, including Ontario's forests. 

Banned: There are enough studies demonstrating that glyphosate is toxic and ties to serious health-related issues, including birth defects and infertility, that the use of the herbicide is banned in the Netherlands and will soon be banned in France and Brazil. 

Human Toxicity: According to several studies "accute symptoms of glyphosate exposure including destruction of red blood cells, lung dysfunction, low blood pressure, kidney damage, erosion of gastrointestinal tract, dissiness, fever, and nausea. " - Sierra Club

Enviromental Damage: Glyphosate has been shown to kill beneficical insects including parasitoid wasps, ladybugs, lacewings and other insects, resulting in negative impacts on small mammal, bird, and fish populations. 

Spraying Locally: The ministry of Natural Resources, the Ontario forestry inductry and its contractors rountinely spay this toxin on Northern Ontraio forests, with no regard to the health of wildlife; native vegetation; water quality; human users such as hunters, fishers, campers, and hikers; or ancestral and cultural connections tot he land. The headwaters that feed North Shore lakes and rivers originate in land sprayed with glyphosphate.

LET IT BE KNOWN THAT THE UNDERSIGNED ARE IOOISED TI TGE WIDE-SPREAD USE OF GLYPHOPHATE ON NOTHERN ONTARIO FORESTS AND WATERSHEDS AND THAT WE DEMAND THAT THE MINISTRY OF NATURAL RESOURCES, THE FORESTRY INDUSTRY AND ITS PARTNERS IMMEDIATELY PHASE OUT ITS USE. 

Sources: 
Sawada, Y., et al. 1988. Probable toxicity of surface-active agent in commerical herbidice containing glyphosate. Lancet 1(8580):299.
Tominack, R. L. et al. 1991. Taiwan National Poison Center: Survey of glyphosate-surfactant herbicide ingestions. Clin. Toxicol. 29(1):91-109.
Tallbet, A.R. et al. 1991. Acute poisoning with a glyphodate-surfactant herbicide ("Roundup"): A review of 93 cases. Human exo. Toxicol. 10:1-8.