BC Pesticide Issue Update May 2013
Pesticide Issue Update – May, 2013
By Jerry Rousseau
The pesticide issue was heating up once again in BC as we approached the provincial election. Media and pollsters certainly had people believing the NDP would become our new government which for sportsturf and golf course managers, was sure to mean swiftly introduced, restrictive pesticide use legislation. Cause for worry, it wasn’t clear where sportsturf would stand as the NDP’s previously introduced bills flip-flopped between full and partial provincial bans.
On July 24, British Columbia Environment Minister Terry Lake met with a small group of local golf industry personnel at the Radium Resort Golf Course in Radium Hot Springs to discuss concerns over the issue of ‘cosmetic’ pesticides. While the Special Committee on Cosmetic Pesticides struck by Premier Christy Clark released a no-ban recommendation at the end of May, many golf business people remain concerned about implementation of the recommendations and cost of complying with any new regulations.