Making Green Spaces Truly Green

After announcing 15 confirmed Green Party candidates for the 2007 provincial election, Green Party of Manitoba Leader Andrew Basham called for a province-wide ban on the cosmetic use of pesticides, in line with the precautionary principle.1

“Our parks and greens spaces are places that we go to feel healthy and alive. To have them doused in chemicals linked to a myriad of health problems is a threat to public health and the environment. It is time to end this risky practice, which serves only a cosmetic purpose.”

The Ontario College of Family Physicians, in 2004, established links between pesticide exposure and numerous health disorders including cancers, nervous system impacts, and reproductive impacts, and congratulated Quebec for implementing a province-wide ban on cosmetic pesticide use – encouraging similar action in other jurisdictions.

Platform – Protecting Living Systems

The Green Party of Manitoba’s platform consists of six pillars for a sustainable society. The cosmetic pesticide ban is part of “Protecting Living Systems”, including humans and the ecosystems we are part of. There are over 6,000 pesticides registered in Canada. Eliminating cosmetic pesticide use will go a long ways to reducing our exposure to these by focusing on ‘low-hanging-fruit’ first. Manitoba Greens promote a transition away from pesticide use, towards a sustainable localized organic agriculture system in the long-run and short- and medium-term policies to get there, such as tax- and subsidy- shifting, transitional funding for farmers, and consumer education about pesticide-containing products.

Children, Elderly, and Vulnerable Groups

Because children and elderly are more susceptible to pesticide exposure than average adults, we should design policies around the most vulnerable in society, not the strongest. Schools, hospitals, and other places where vulnerable people can be found need to be targeted for immediate action to prevent harm from pesticide exposure. Quebec introduced its “Pesticides Management Code” in 2003, which states that:

“…it is prohibited to use almost all pesticides inside and outside child care centres and elementary and secondary schools, and specific rules must be observed when using authorized pesticides” (Quebec Ministry of Sustainable Development, Environment and Parks).3

Manitoba is dragging its feet when it comes to protecting human and ecosystem health (i.e. living systems), and this is unacceptable. Manitoba Greens have the political will to ensure that people and the planet are put first.

Alternatives to pesticide-based lawn care do exist. One example is the Manitoba EcoNetwork’s Organic Lawn Care Project.4 Greens support such initiatives and would increase funding to programs that seek to educate the public about the benefits of going organic and making our green spaces truly green.