A Nanaimo bylaw dealing with cosmetic pesticides that will go to council later this month doesn't have much bite unless senior levels of government ban their sale.
Coun. Jim Kipp said the city awaits direction from the province, but until it receives that, he expects council will pass the bylaw and then use the next year to educate people about chemical-free gardening and lawn care.
His environmental committee is gathering input from local landscapers and retailers about any concerns they may have regarding a cosmetic pesticide ban in the city. Last spring, city council resurrected its desire for a chemical pesticide ban following a campaign by the Canadian Cancer Society.
Eighteen municipalities have already banned chemical pesticides and B.C. is inching toward a provincewide ban. Ontario and Quebec have already implemented legislation banning them.
In 1994, at the urging of the cancer society, the city decreed that care for all city-owned properties must be done in accordance with the integrated pest management system.
Last year, council members decided it was time for homeowners and businesses to adhere to the same system, which does not completely eliminate the use of chemicals, but does not allow untrained homeowners to use them.
"What we are saying is that people who are certified in IPM can use them safely or they can hire a business that will tend to their lawns and gardens," said Kipp.
He acknowledged the city has no real way to enforce the purchase of the chemicals by people who haven't been certified.