Ontario legislature approves ban on lawn and garden pesticides, however....

On June 2008, lawmakers in Ontario passed the Cosmetic Pesticide Ban Act, which prohibits the sale and use of pesticides on lawns and gardens throughout Canada's largest province. Thousands of Ontario residents contacted the government in support of this sales ban. Not allowing pesticides onto store shelves will mean that they're not used. However, the new law prevents cities and towns from enforcing bylaws that are more restrictive of pesticide use than the provincial ban. It also allows golf courses to continue using pesticides and gives power to the Ontario minister of the environment to allow other exemptions--a potential loophole. Important details of Ontario’s new ban on cosmetic pesticides will be finalized in the coming months as the government develops regulations. The regulations will specify, for example, which pesticides will be prohibited and any exemptions to the ban. Citizens continue to call on the province to match or exceed the protections offered by the strongest pesticide bylaws already in place in cities such as Toronto and Peterborough.