Compost is the foundation for pesticide-free yard care, according to Nadine Brodeur, executive director of the Greater Victoria Compost Education Centre. The City of Victoria’s pesticide reduction bylaw is now in force, meaning homeowners who use proscribed chemicals without a permit could face fines up to $1,000.

By Keith Vass - Victoria News

Published: March 04, 2009 11:00 AM
Updated: March 05, 2009 8:21 AM

Spring hasn’t quite sprung, but to avoid a possible $1,000 fine, it might be time for some to re-think how they plan on keeping their grass green.

After an 11-month ‘education’ period, the City of Victoria’s pesticide use reduction bylaw went into effect Jan. 11. The new rules limit which chemicals can be applied to residential properties without first obtaining a city permit.

The bylaw was passed out of a recognition “that short-term convenience no longer outweighs long-term benefit,” said Coun. Sonya Chandler. The goal was to protect both the environment and human health from risks associated with non-essential use of chemical pesticides.

The rules come with a list of 46 allowable “reduced-risk” products (available on the city’s website). Other products aren’t banned but can only be used after a city bylaw enforcement officer has viewed a property and issued a permit, if they agree a restricted pesticide is the only option to control an infestation. All of the restricted products will remain on store shelves, since the power to restrict sales rests with the province.

While he has no objection to reducing pesticide use, the way the bylaw is structured rankles one lawn care company owner.

Local Weed Man franchise owner Dave Carney said it’s unfair that institutions such as schools, hospitals and the provincial government, as well as industrial and commercial properties, have been left out, despite accounting for a large part of the city’s land area.

He also points out that by basing the bylaw around a city-determined list of safe products, it creates a situation where new products approved by federal regulators won’t be allowed in the city, even if they’re safer than anything currently on the city’s list.

“They don’t have the expertise that Health Canada has in determining what products can be considered safe,” he said.

Chandler agrees with Carney on the first point and hopes to see institutions included in a future revision of the bylaw. If the second concern proves valid, she expects council would take a second look at how to ease access to new products.

Not surprisingly given the early date, city bylaw officer Tim Weckans said there have been no $25 permit applications for proscribed products yet. And while the maximum fine for spraying without a permit is $1,000, his office will be continuing an “educational approach” with homeowners.

Nadine Brodeur, executive director at the Greater Victoria Compost Education Centre, said awareness about eco-friendly lawn care and gardening is already pretty high in Victoria, regardless of the bylaw.

But she said more information needs to get out there, especially at the retail level.

“(People) go into a store to buy pesticides and don’t necessarily realize (there are alternatives),” she said. “And the store clerks don’t necessarily have alternatives and don’t know how to communicate that education to them.”

For those who need to make the jump to chemical-free gardening this year, the compost education centre’s introductory class to composting is a good start, Brodeur added.

“What you’re doing with compost is you’re building the soil integrity,” she said. “And when the soil has not just the macronutrients that are added when you add commercial fertilizer, but all the micronutrients, you’re actually really strengthening the plant.”

Strong, healthy plants have less problems and strong, healthy soil negates the need for pesticides and herbicides, she said.

kvass@vicnews.com