The sale of glyphosate-based pesticides will be banned in Granby next June. This municipality in the Eastern Townships thus becomes the second city in the province, after Montreal, to put this herbicide on the index.
“We saw what was in Montreal, so we were inspired by it, but the objective was really to be consistent with our current regulations,” said the mayor of Granby, Julie Bourdon, in a telephone interview.
PHOTO ROBERT SKINNER, THE PRESS
The Mayor of Granby, Julie Bourdon
Granby, like many other municipalities, has banned the use of synthetic pesticides for aesthetic purposes for several years. Herbicides based on glyphosate, an ingredient found in several products, including those marketed under the Roundup brand, are among them.
The sales ban was added “at the request of citizens”, who asked if Granby could “follow what happened in Montreal and prevent the sale of glyphosate in Granby businesses”, explains Ms.me Bumblebee.
In Montreal, glyphosate-based products have been banned from retail shelves since last year, a first in Quebec.
In Granby, the by-law aimed at prohibiting “the sale or offering for sale of a pesticide whose active ingredient is glyphosate” was the subject of a notice of motion to the municipal council last Monday. Its adoption is scheduled for the board meeting of February 6, for entry into force on February 1.er next June.
It responds to concerns from the point of view of “health and environmental protection”, indicates the mayor.
“We want to act and we act”
A dozen businesses are targeted in Granby. A letter will be sent to them “very quickly”, and inspections that can lead to statements of offense are planned during the summer, specifies the municipal administration.
In Montreal, 14 of the 65 businesses targeted by the new pesticide regulations received a notice of violation in the spring of 2022. They had 48 hours to remove the products from the shelves. Subsequent visits found them to be in compliance with regulations, the City told us last summer.
The Granbyens will still be able to buy the herbicides prohibited in neighboring localities, recognizes the mayor. “We know that we are not a desert island. But at the same time, can we tell ourselves that we want to do nothing? That’s also the question. We want to act and we act. »
Exceptions are also provided for in Granby itself, for retail businesses for agricultural or commercial purposes (B1 permit) and wholesalers (A permit). “It represents two businesses that have special permits to sell to farmers. These are not supermarkets that are aimed at Mr. and Mrs. Everybody, ”underlines Mr.me Bumblebee.
The use of synthetic pesticides for aesthetic purposes has been prohibited since 2016 in Granby. Only infestations certified by an expert can be the subject of an application for a temporary permit to use such products, and only after organic or low-impact pesticides have been used without success.
Six statements of offense and 33 warnings have been issued over the past two years, the municipality told us.
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- 6
- Number of statements of offense issued by Granby over the past two years with respect to its pesticide regulations. They resulted in a fine of $1,000 and five fines of $200. A seventh report is awaiting issuance.
Source: City of Granby