June 18, 2008

Queen’s Park – NDP Environment Critic Peter Tabuns today slammed the McGuinty government’s flawed cosmetic pesticide bill which quashes stronger municipal pesticide by-laws.

“Municipalities have been at the forefront of the cosmetic pesticide ban movement. Now, Dalton McGuinty is taking away the power of local governments to make decisions that respond to local health needs,” said Tabuns, the MPP for Toronto—Danforth.

During committee proceedings, Tabuns brought forward a number of amendments that would have made it possible for municipalities to pass more stringent pesticide by-laws.

The amendments were widely supported by a wide array of concerned groups, including the Association of Municipalities of Ontario, EcoJustice, the Canadian Association for Physicians for the Environment, the Canadian Cancer Society, and the Registered Nurses Association of Ontario, and municipalities, including the City of Toronto and the City of Ottawa. McGuinty government members defeated all of the amendments.

“Quite clearly, the Liberal mantra of municipalities being mature orders of government only holds for the cameras, not when it really counts,” said Tabuns.

Earlier today, Tabuns and other members of the NDP caucus voted against the bill.

– 30 –