Update August 2018: Health Canada announced that it will ban major bee-killing neonicotinoid pesticides clothianidin and thiamethoxam. And with an earlier announcement of the planned phase out of imidacloprid, this means that the most commonly used bee-killing neonics will soon be off Canada’s fields. Now our attention turns to making sure we stop using all bee-killing pesticides in Canada before the corporations like Bayer tries to overturn the ban.
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Original call for public comments:
In a month where we could really use some good news, we found it: Canada is this close to a full-on ban of imidacloprid, one of the most widely used bee-killing pesticides in the world.
Health Canada is taking public comments for just 90 days before it will consider a complete ban. This opportunity won’t come around again — we have to seize it now. Public comments have been extended and will be taken until March 23rd 2017.
Will you tell Health Canada why we need to take this chance to save the bees?
Vancouver and Montreal have already voted to ban neonicotinoids, Ontario has regulated three neonics, and Quebec is considering stricter regulations on neonics. But a Canada-wide ban has never been on the table -- until now. This could turn all the hard, incremental work we’ve done together over the past few years into a giant leap forward.
A risk assessment report by Health Canada found that continued use of imidacloprid is “not sustainable” and proposed phasing out the neonicotinoid in 3-5 years. This 3-5 year timeline is in the interest of the pesticide industry -- not science -- and so we need to make sure the government hears from us now that this toxic chemical needs to be phased out sooner.
Corporate lobbyists are fighting hard against against this. Bayer, the agro-chemical giant who invented the bee-killing poison, has already pledged to dispute the data behind the report. Which is why Health Canada needs to hear from all of us now.
Health Canada isn’t making it easy to comment, but that’s where we come in. We will send your comments directly to the desk of Health Minister Jane Philpott, who has promised to make a “science-based decision.” And we intend to hold her to that promise.
Corporate lobbyists are fighting hard against against this. Bayer, the agro-chemical giant who invented the bee-killing poison, has already pledged to dispute the data behind the report. Which is why Health Canada needs to hear from all of us now.
Health Canada isn’t making it easy to comment, but that’s where we come in. We will send your comments directly to the desk of Health Minister Jane Philpott, who has promised to make a “science-based decision.” And we intend to hold her to that promise.
Send Min. Philpott a message now. Let’s save the bees in Canada.
More information
Health Canada plans to phase out controversial pesticide
The Globe and Mail. 23 November 2016.
The Globe and Mail. 23 November 2016.
Health Canada proposes ban of bee-killing neonicotinoid pesticide
CBC. 23 November 2016.
CBC. 23 November 2016.
