Ontario golf courses exempt from pesticide ban?
Derek Malivoire of Oakville Ontario writes:
"With all the golf couses in Ontario, how can they be exempt from the pesticide ban? Half of Ontario is covered with golf courses, with lots of streams running through them. They are the bigest user.
My garden has been drug free for years., but I have seen the frogs, snakes and a lot of the good insects disappear. In fact, I have not seen any for the last three years."
Thanks for this question, Derek. According to Lisa Gue, our Health and Environment Policy Analyst, the short answer is yes, the proposed Ontario ban would exempt golf courses, as does the ban in Quebec and in most municipalities.
The Ontario legislation has yet to pass and may be amended, but in its current form, golf courses would be exempted from the ban if they comply with certain requirements. Those requirements would be specified in regulations and would likely involve measure to reduce (but not eliminate) pesticide use.
We suggest you write to Premier McGuinty and Environment Minister Gerretsen and urge the Ontario government to tighten up that aspect of the law. You’ll find a direct link to them on this page of our David Suzuki Digs My Garden site: http://www.davidsuzuki.org/NatureChallenge/GardenContest/Take_Action.asp .
Tags: ban, Ontario, pesticides
June 17th, 2008 at 11:58 am
We were asked to keep this response anonymous, because the writer felt the opinions expressed could jeopardize his/her job:
“I love my job and believe that if I don’t “spray it” they will easily find someone that will. They want a cut and spray technician not a golf course Superintendent. Really funny and sad how a new board of directors (they are lay people that change annually) can direct a small portion of our population into apply really quantitatively ridiculous amounts of pesticide!
They want to spray the entire Golf Course with insecticide to “prevent the disaster 1%.” I believe there are very important areas to protect and intensively care for. we have over 100 acres in the city, about really 10%-20% (greens tees fairways) need some form of protection. But because “they can afford it”, they will spray it.
I have worked over ten years developing thresholds that have effectively greatly reduced our use of all chemical it has been five years since any insecticide was applied here. They common perception of high end golf is that conditions must be Green to compete for members and income. I know I must spray to retain my position, and only have a few years left before retirement at what was the best proactive environmentally responsible property anywhere!
This really is the tip of an environmental nightmare that I think no one will look at, because a number of powerful people play the game and can afford the SPRAY. Even the way new golf courses are constructed is ENVIRONMENTALLY STUPID and no one will call them on it, sustainability my butt!
As you can tell I am frustrated and know that when Ontario bans the sale of pesticides in the retail market, people (members) will come to me for it. That will take my career full circle, back in the day (when I was wet behind the ears) I used to pour KILLEX in a coffee mate jar for “members”. Ha! Black market pesticides could be a whole new income stream for the club maybe we will actually reduce our costs of pesticides!
IPM (Integrated Pest Management) What a crock I am a past director of the OGSA (Ontario Golf Superintendents Association), I remember sitting at the “IPM” initial meetings and like they said, just like I will get forced to do “of course I will continue to spray whatever it takes, if I don’t someone else will”! It is only the tip of the iceberg.
I hate spraying it is not necessary! Wish me luck and my respirator stays tight I would like to retire and enjoy the remainder, I just hope that lead arsenate didn’t stay in my system.”
November 28th, 2008 at 2:31 pm
I must say that you are ridiculous. I can’t believe the things that you said. It’s a good thing that you did remain anonymous because i would be sure to have your job. You put killex in a coffe container to give to members? These pestices which are bought through the golf course is for the course, you shoud have been fired or the course should have been charged. I’ve been working in lawn care all my life and never have WE as a company treated pesticides with such disrespect. IPM is so vital to our business. This is the reason we have been so succesful. People know we are responsible and cautious and most importantly very strict when it comes to pesticides. If your course cared at all about their customers they would practise good IPM. I would love to know the name of this golf course so I could get an investigation done, not to mention use your sloppy and very dangerous ways of doing maintenance to show the ministry that golf courses should not get the exemption to pesticides. This ban was simply a publicity stunt on mcgintys part. everybody is going green and he used their vulnerability and naivity to gain popularity, that is why he annouced this stupid ban on earth day. Thank you very much mcginty for taking away thousands and thousands of well trained and certified (by the government of ontario) pesticide technicians
December 24th, 2008 at 8:33 pm
Thanks for the great tips.