“We made this bold gesture”

(Laval) environmental activists planted 500 flags in Laval Park on Saturday, urging municipalities to ban the use of cosmetics such as glyphosate.

Florence Morin-Martel
Tap

The action of the vigilance OGM group took place on Saturday in the third city, Quebec. “Lavalki has an idea to say bravo,” said Laure Mabilev, head of the Sortir du Glyphosate campaign. In the spring, the city banned this herbicide in its territory. This by-law applies to private land and parks maintained by the city.

Hundreds of flying flags in Bernard-Laundry Park usually indicate that pesticides have been spilled. Laurel Mabile says banning this herbicide, known as roundabout, is one of the “simplest, most effective and cheapest” measures cities can take.

Deputy Mayor, Stephen Boer wanted to promote municipalities. “Look at our meadows: they are green and they are beautiful, [bien] We have no pesticides, ”he said, pointing to the field behind him. “Often, we see Laval as a suburban city where people have their family home and love to have their own lawn. We took this bold step,” he said of the roundup ban.

The latter said the transition was “very well done” and follow-up with residents was underway. “If there is reason to believe that the regulations have not been respected, our Town Planning Inspectors can take samples from the soil and [les] Analyze, ”explained Stefan Boyer.

Keep in mind that glyphosate is classified as a “possibly carcinogenic agent in humans” by the World Health Organization’s International Center for Research on Cancer.

“Quick and Effective Successes”

Vigilance OGM’s Get Out Glyphosate Campaign does not only target municipalities and herbicide use for cosmetic purposes. It also targeted the farming community.

Glyphosate made headlines last week when the Quebec Ministry of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food opposed Health Canada’s proposal to increase pesticide residue limits on certain foods. During the public consultation until September 3, the population was called upon to express their views on the matter.

According to Laure Mabilio, environmental activists are leaning towards municipalities for their actions. “It looks like the only place you can achieve quick and effective environmental successes,” she commented. The activist argues that this speed is due to the lack of lobbying at the municipal level.

For Vigilance OGM Coordinator Tibalt Rehn, the presence of pesticides needs to be addressed in areas where the population is high. “A kid who came to play in a park, you can’t tell him not to put his hands in his mouth,” he recalled. Why put him in danger unnecessarily? ”

Montrealist Veronica Boutin, who was there with her two children, welcomed the Laval initiative. “We want the same in Montreal,” she said.

In 2019, the city of Montreal announced a ban on glyphosate in its territory. But since then, no terms have been submitted. Contacted by Press, City Public Relations Officer Karla Duval argued that new regulations should be submitted this year. “Therefore, many pesticides, including glyphosate, should be completely banned,” she said in an email exchange.

Tap There has been no response to its questions about the roundup ban on its territory from the city of Longueil.

In Quebec, many cities regulate the use of pesticides. Twenty years ago, Laure Mabili recalled that Hudson was an avant-garde by imposing regulations to this extent. Elsewhere in Canada, the province of Manitoba has banned roundup sales since 2015.