Hello, As a resident of…

Hello,

As a resident of Ontario, I am increasingly concerned that my health and the health of my family (including my children and grandchildren) is considered a trivial trade-off in this Open for Business approach of the new provincial Conservative government.

The Liberals left us with few protections against the proliferation of pesticides in our environment, and now the Conservative government is removing even those.

If the proposed revisions to the Pesticide Act go through, they will result in public works herbicide applications exposing rural residents to restricted pesticides every year. For this reason, THEY SHOULD NOT HAVE AN EXEMPTION!

Even as it stands now, the amount of public notification is not sufficient. Post-application signs are needed. Exact application dates and time are not made public, so residents may be exposed when they walk their dog, or pick up mail. Furthermore, buffer zones should be required for all schoolbus stops on rural routes.

If you care as much about rural residents (of which I am one), as you profess to do, please protect our health -- and our family's health -- by restricting the use of pesticides, and -- if they are used -- , giving people sufficient notice to avoid exposing themselves to it. There are enough people dying from cancer -- at a young age too -- without the Conservative party making it even worse.