Herbicides in Northern Ontario

A petition to prevent the commercial application of non-essentialherbicides(a type of pesticide intended to kill plants) in Northern Ontario.

I agree that the government of Ontario should prohibit the use ofchemicalherbicides by the forestry industry given;

(1) the non-chemical alternatives which currently exist to meetvegetationmanagement needs, and which are in use in other parts of Canada, suchasQuebec.
(2) the firm stance against the non-essential use of these chemicalswhichhas been taken by the medical community, having regard to human andenvironmental health. See www.Domtar.Org for additional information.
(3) the significant possibility of violating the rights of allCanadians(especially resource dependent Aboriginal communities) to cleandrinkingwater, edible plants, wildlife, and fish.
(4) the largely unfulfilled commitments already made by the federalgovernment to reduce dependency on pesticides and herbicides. Seehttp://nfsc.forest.ca/strategies/strategy5.html(link) for additional information.
(5) the questionable performance of the federal government to regulatepesticides (including herbicides) for the health and safety ofCanadians.

"The federal government does not have reliable, up-to-dateinformation aboutpesticides that it needs to manage them effectively. It lackssignificantinformation on the use of pesticides and exposure to them. Research onhealth impacts is very limited ..." (1.134 AG).

"Overall, we conclude that the federal government is not managingpesticideseffectively." (AG 1.136).

"In several cases, the measures listed on pesticide labels, eveniffollowed, appear not to have been enough to prevent environmentaldamage."2003 Auditor General Report of the Commissioner of the Environment andSustainable Development to the House of Commons - Chapter 1: ManagingtheSafety and Accessibility of Pesticides. Report viewable atwww.oag-bvg.gc.ca