A call for ministry to cease and desist use on Manitoulin
To the Expositor:
Several weeks ago, my good friend Zak Nichols forwarded to me some material he had obtained from the Ministry of Transportation (MTO) in response to a Freedom of Information (FOI) request.
For several years, both Zak and I have been seriously concerned about the use on Manitoulin of the herbicides Roundup and other products containing glyphosates, a group of chemicals known to cause cancer. We weren’t the only ones concerned. Petitions we circulated got well over a thousand signatures and a parallel exercise run by Petra Wall got similar numbers from other parts of the Island. Our local MPP Michael Mantha presented these petitions to the Ontario Provincial Assembly and to Doug Ford’s Minister of the Environment (they keep changing). Nothing else changed. That particular petition was focused on the use by Hydro One of Roundup in its vegetation management program. But odious as that is, at least Hydro One was following guidelines provided by the manufacturer.
By its own admission (material secured by FOI request), MTO seems to be spraying an awful lot of Roundup/glyphosate. That is bad enough, but we are referring to a product with proven carcinogenic risks, bad enough that the current owner Bayer has provisioned US$11 billion against class actions it expects to lose. This is the same Bayer whom we understand is now petitioning to increase concentration of its product by two to three times.
MTO’s method of delivery (FOI from their own numbers) seems to be excessive and voluminous. The manufacturer (Bayer) provides very stringent instructions on its use, including the training of operators, the wearing of HAZMAT suits etc., avoiding windy or rainy days, publishing notices to the public, marking zones that have been sprayed with warning flags etc.
Hydro One generally goes through its right of ways with bushcutters then treats the cut ends with the spray. MTO by contrast provides no notices that we have seen (mandated notifications to the public seems to be spotty if they happen at all [few flags etc.]). Spraying along the roadside verge which is certainly used by ATVs regularly and then planting the occasional flag just doesn’t satisfy the Ontario government’s own regulations. We hope that MTO will cease and desist the use of glyphosates on Manitoulin going forward. Meanwhile, we and others will be petitioning the Federal government to ban the use of glyphosates all over Canada, admittedly a longer-term project.
Paul Darlaston
Kagawong
