Pesticide ban, one year later
By Sarah Payne The Tri-City News
Jan 05 2007

One year after Port Moody enacted its ban on the cosmetic use of pesticides, residents have learned the tricks of the organic gardening trade, the city says.

The city banned use of pesticides, herbicides and insecticides on private land as of Jan. 1, 2006. (Organic gardening techniques have been used on city land since 1988.)

Since the ban came into effect, about 35 calls to the environmental services department were logged from residents looking for non-chemical ways to deal with pest problems, said PoMo spokesperson Colleen Rohde. Most bylaw enforcement is done on a complaint basis but Rohde said she didn’t know how many residents had called to report a neighbour’s golf course-level lawn.

Only one ticket was issued in 2006 – to a landscaping contractor working at a PoMo strata unit.

“An employee likely forgot where they were working,” Rohde said of the chemical slip. An environmental protection committee member noticed the contractor’s sign posted, alerting residents to the use of pesticides, and notified the city.

In 2006, PoMo focused efforts on educating residents about the ban and alternative gardening methods through brochures and a seminar featuring expert speakers. The city will continue the education this year along with ticketing.

David Hills, who has been in the pesticide-free gardening business for the last 15 years, said Port Moody’s bylaw is ahead of the times. His company, Busybee Gardening, tends to the grass and plantings around Newport Village as well as 60 other mainly commercial and strata properties around the Lower Mainland.

“The city is quite progressive and we’re quite pleased with what they’re doing,” Hills said. Stats from the Canadian Cancer Society show more than 70 municipalities – including Halifax, Montreal, Toronto and Vancouver – have implemented pesticide-free bylaws and nearly 40% of Canadians live in cities that have restricted pesticide use.

He also had some tips for residents worried about keeping a nice lawn without pesticides. Hills suggested planting native species — foreign plants are much more susceptible to disease — aerating lawns and dressing them with seeds come spring.

“A healthy lawn doesn’t promote weeds so, if you make your lawn healthy, weeds won’t grow there,” Hills said

. • Port Moody’s annual lawn and garden seminar is scheduled for Wednesday, March 28 at 7 p.m. at the Inlet Theatre.

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