TEHKUMMAH—Some Tehkummah residents are upset with what they feel is a lack of proper notice regarding the spraying of herbicide on Tehkummah roads by the Ministry of Transportation (MTO).
An advertisement posted by the MTO alerting Tehkummah residents to the spraying appeared in the July 12 and July 19 editions of the paper, as per Pesticide Act and Regulations, Pesticide Control Products Act and Regulations and The Environmental Pesticide Act and Regulations Part V and Reg. 309, but stated that spraying could commence as early as July 15. This has George Kopylov, a Tehkummah carpenter, concerned as those same Acts clearly state that 10 days’ notice must first be given.
While the first sight of a spray truck, operated by MTO contractors DBI, was spotted by at least one Tehkummah resident on July 25—within the 10-day timeframe—Mr. Kopylov said he isn’t convinced that the spraying hadn’t commenced earlier.
When contacted by the Expositor, the MTO stated that the spraying took place on Highway 542 on Wednesday, July 26 and that as per the aforementioned Acts and Regulations, the contractor (DBI) must submit the following information to the ministry 10 days before spraying: a contractor name, who must be accredited with the Integrated Pest Management Council; a contract number; and the herbicide name and product number.
Upon completion of the spraying, the contractor must submit the following records of all herbicide applications to the ministry: date, highway number, location, hectares treated, weather at time of application, targeted vegetation, type and quantity of herbicides applied; and name of applicator and pesticide licence.
“The contractor is also required to submit herbicide information a minimum of 10 business days prior to the start of the spraying operations,” Lara Cantin, media spokesperson for the MTO, northeast region, states. “Notification in the newspaper is required one week in advance of spraying or alternatively could place signs every 100 metres. Our contractor submitted all the necessary documents and followed the notification requirements.”
When asked if the MTO requires a municipal resolution, as Hydro One requires when it seeks to spray herbicide, the MTO replied that it did not need municipal approval, as “the contractor is only spraying on MTO property.”
Of particular concern to Mr. Kopylov is the herbicide ClearView. Just like Garlon, ClearView is highly toxic to fish, aquatic plants and invertebrates.
One resident of Highway 542 in Tehkummah shared her encounter with an MTO contractor who was spraying herbicide last week. Bernadette Phillips notes that she and her husband spotted a tanker truck in the early evening hours that was obviously spraying something on her and her husband’s property followed by a sweet chemical smell.
Tracking the tanker truck and accompanying MTO vehicle down, Ms. Phillips asked a man in the MTO vehicle what it was the tanker was spraying. He responded by saying that he was not aware of the name of the chemical, “but it was something to keep the weeds down.”
“I asked him if it was ClearView or Garlon, and I told him that I had not been notified that herbicide was going to be used at the end of my property,” Ms. Phillips said. “I asked for a copy of the documentation and material data safety handling sheet and the gentleman in the MTO car said he did not have one. I explained to him I was under the understanding that there was to be more discussion and awareness made with the residents in the area prior to the spraying of the herbicide. As an MTO employee he was unaware of this.”
“I backed up and asked the employee in the sprayer truck if he knew what he was spraying. He said he was not sure but checked on his clipboard and told me that the product was ClearView,” she continued. “I explained that neither myself nor my husband were aware that our property was going to be sprayed with this herbicide, and the employee had no satisfactory response.”
“I mentioned to the MTO employee in the lead car that I had not been notified that this product was going to be used on my property. I also mentioned to him that ClearView was toxic to fish and other forms of wildlife,” Ms. Phillips said. “He told me we were not near any fish. I stated, ‘look around. Everything runs downhill and goes into the river and into the lake. You are near fish.’ He said he would discontinue the spraying.”
A delegation will be brought forward to the August 15 meeting of Tehkummah council to raise their concerns on herbicide use in the municipality.
In other areas of Manitoulin, Hydro One told The Expositor that crews are still working on Manitoulin, spraying the herbicide Garlon and that no new work areas have been proposed.
