As further proof that the chemical lawn care industry is not accepting the Canadian pesticide bans without a major fight, a lawsuit was filed today in the province of Ontario. A group representing several lawn care companies is suing the provincial government for its ban on weed ‘n feed and similar products that was enacted on April 22, 2008.
This comes on the heels of a 2009 lawsuit by the United States chemical giant Dow AgriSciences, which has brought action against the province of Quebec for its pesticide ban that was enacted in 2004. Dow is claiming the Quebec ban violates terms of the North American Free Trade Agreement among the U.S., Canada and Mexico.
Many in Canada feel these legal proceedings will compel other provincial governments in that nation to avoid enacting all-out bans on pesticides. That would clearly seem to be the strategy of the lawn chemical industry, which is reportedly worth $1.3 billion in Ontario alone. It is difficult for governments, especially in these difficult economic times, to justify the money to find the special-interest chemical lobbyists.
The hope here is that these legal ploys will only make the average citizen all the more angry at the tactics. Politicians need to hear the voice of the people, not the voice of the chemical companies. If that happens, these lawsuits will be thrown out.
And U.S. activists need to learn from this. As pesticide bans are enacted here, the chemical lobbyists will head to the courts. Sometimes they’ll find sympathetic judges; other times they won’t. Either way, we cannot allow their money to overcome our will.
Here is a link to an on-line story about the situation: www.winnipegfreepress.com/greenpage/environment/81382937.html
Wed, Jan 13, 2010
General