As a nature-lover with a…

As a nature-lover with a pollinator-friendly wildflower garden I am very aware of the importance of maintaining and strengthening the ban on neonicotinoid insecticides and other pesticides that attack pollinators. As someone who eats food that relies on pollinators, I see the dire consequences of continuing to poison bees and other pollinators.

By proposing to remove requirements for seed vendors to report sales numbers for treated and untreated seeds, and for the government to publicly post seed sales data, this bill enables the use of neonics where it was previously prohibited by Ontario’s Pesticide Regulation Act. Furthermore, the amendments in Bill 132 would eliminate third-party assessment of pest threats as a requirement for accessing neonic-treated seeds under the current rules.

Muhannad Malas, toxics program manager at Environmental Defence says the proposed legislation will "kick the teeth out of a central pillar of Ontario’s Pollinator Health Strategy and will deprive government of basic information needed for making good decisions. This is a big step backwards for bee health in Ontario.”

These changes should be removed from Bill 132 in order to protect Ontario's food supply.