Help Kings County Ban Cosmetic Lawn Pesticides Please help get Kings County Council to take the steps necessary to phase out and eventually eliminate the use of cosmetic lawn pesticides, herbicides and fungicides. On Oct. 15th, the "council of the whole" passed a motion to recommend to council that a bylaw proposal go ahead and that public meetings be held. It also proposed that a registry be made of areas to be protected, such as schools, daycares, public parks and playgrounds, and the homes of registered individuals. The bylaw would apply only to growth areas and hamlets in the county. It most definitely would not affect agriculture. The motion passed by only one vote, and the whole issue could die at the next council meeting, which occurs Tues, Nov. 5th, UNLESS there are numerous letters, phone calls and visits to councillors from concerned citizens in favor of this action. Below is a list of all the county councillors as well as a brief sample letter. You do not need to live in the county in order to write a letter of support. It is important to send copies of letters to the Warden and Deputy Warden, as well as to individual councillors. If you know children who would like to be involved in this issue, the councillors might find letters from children of interest. After all, children are perhaps most vulnerable to these chemicals. It is not necessary to write scientific letters. It is only necessary to express concern about the issue, express support for the "precautionary principle" and request public meetings. Suggest that a good place to begin would be to ban the use of these cosmetic chemicals in public areas frequented by children, such as school yards, daycares, public playgrounds and parks, library grounds and universities. A few websites of interest:
2. these are talks given by 2 Halifax doctors and 1 lawyer at the time HRM was debating the cosmetic pesticide issue http://www.environmentalhealth.ca/june00rutledge.html http://www.environmentalhealth.ca/june00ring.html 3. this is the site for the Canadian Parliamentary Report "Pesticides - Making the Right Choice for the Protection of Health and the Environment"
Sample Letter - try and personalize it if you can, just for a bit of variety To the Municipality of Kings Council- I am writing in support of a ban on all chemical pesticides used on lawns in Kings County. Evidence demonstrates that such chemicals are harmful to the health of residents, so I feel that a ban would serve to protect your constituents. Children are especially vulnerable to the harmful effects of pesticides and I feel that they deserve to be protected through legislation. Please consider acting on this issue as it affects us all, now and for generations to come. Your leadership will affect communities across the province. Thank you for considering this important issue in our community. Yours truly, ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ The MUNICIPALITY OF THE COUTY
OF KINGS
THE MUNICIPAL COUNCIL 2000 – 2004 Warden – Fred Whalen, RR 2, Berwick, NS, B0P 1E0 phone 538-1611, fax 538-0061 Deputy Warden – Diana Brothers, PO Box 1666, Greenwood, NS B0P 1N0, 765-8609, fax=765-0442 Bert Greene, RR 1, Canning B0P 1H0, 582-7223, fax=582-3909 (most responsive if letter is accompanied by a phone call and/or visit) Janet Newton, PO Box 82, Port Williams, B0P 1T0 542-5036, fax=542-7190 Madonna Spinazola, RR 2 Centreville, 4079 Hwy. 359, B0P 1J0 679-1949, fax 679-0975 Wayne Atwater, RR 3, Aylesford, B0P 1C0 847-9179, fax 847-1039 Ted Stoddart, PO Box 302, Aylesford, NS B0P 1C0 847-9375, fax 847-0087 Ted Palmer, RR1, Aylesford, NS, B0P 1C0 847-3730, fax 847-1958 Barry Peterson, 6375 Hsy #1, RR 1, Cambridge, NS B0P 1G0 679-5200, fax 679-1160 Chris Parker, RR @, site 24, Comp 3, Wolfville, B0P 1X0 542-1977 cpr@glinx.com Dan Watters, PO Box 563, Kentville, B4N 3X7 678-8396 fax 678-1121 John Fuller, 240 Bluff Rd.,
Avonport, NS, B0P 1B0 542-5432 fax
542-0833
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