Daily News Archive
From April 4, 2006                                                                                                        

Quebec Pesticide Code Comes Into Effect, No Veto By Environment Minister
(Beyond Pesticides, April 4, 2006) On April 3, 2006 the final stage of the Pesticide Code of Quebec has come into effect. Activists had been concerned that the new Minister of the Environment, Claude Béchard, might have vetoed the protections. Because he did not, in addition to a long list of protections (see below), 20 pesticide active ingredients are banned for sale and use for lawns across the Province of Quebec. These ingredients are contained in 210 products that will be prohibited for sale and use for lawns all across the Province. "Weed and feed" formulations are also banned. See a list of the active ingredients banned in Quebec.

Highlights of the Pesticide Code of Quebec Pesticide Use Rules:

• it is prohibited to use the most toxic pesticides on the lawns of public, semi-public and municipal green spaces, except for golf courses;
• it is prohibited to use the most toxic pesticides on the lawns of private and commercial green spaces, as of April 2006;
• it is prohibited to use almost all pesticides inside and outside childcare centres and elementary and secondary schools, and specific rules must be observed when using authorized pesticides;
• it is prohibited to use certain aerosols indoors;
• minimal distances must be observed when using pesticides or when preparing pesticide mixtures near bodies of water, streams or rivers and water intakes, for all types of equipment used;
• specified distances from watercourses and inhabited areas will also have to be observed in the case of equipment causing significant aerial drift (in orchards for example), during aerial spraying and when pesticides are used in high-traffic vehicle, train or energy corridors;
• golf courses are required to submit triennial plans for the reduced use of pesticides to the Ministère du Développement durable, de l’Environnement et des Parcs, as of April 2006;
• application of information modalities for the public and the Ministère du Développement durable, de l’Environnement et des Parcs when certain pesticides are used in forests and high-traffic vehicle, train or energy corridors;
• billposting and pesticide warnings when pesticides are used in urban areas and on golf courses;
• specific rules apply during fumigation (aeration, schedule, posting of warnings);
• specific rules apply for aerial spraying (for example marking the location);
• ground applications of pesticides to reduce adult biting insects is prohibited;
• it is prohibited for commercial users to apply on lawn spaces pesticides that are impregnated or mixed with a fertilizer, unless these products are stored in separate containers.

Sale Rules:

• it is prohibited to sell fertilizer-pesticide mixtures and mixed packages (e.g. herbicide and insecticide), as of April 2004;
• it is prohibited to display products intended for domestic use in a way which makes these products accessible to the public, as of April 2005;
• it is prohibited to sell certain pesticides intended for domestic use, as of April 2006.

For more information, visit www.cap-quebec.com.