2009

Action News

Action

2009

May

Doctors Warn: Avoid Genetically Modified Foods (May 20, 2009) e

xcellent article reviewing harm caused by GMOs to animal and human

health.

Pesticide legislation in SK. Action site of theCanadian Cancer Society-

SK: send a letter to your MLA, write a letter to the editor, and/or tell a

friend. Also link to CCS facebook site to help spread the message and

order a "No pesticides" lawn sign or pin. www.cancer.ca/sk/takeaction

The City of Regina Spray Advisory Line (777-7777) Phone every day

for updates on areas sprayed and pesticides used. Any questions about

city spraying can be directed to 777-7392. The City district map is

published on http://www.regina.ca/site3.aspx Look under popular topics,

then click on cankerworm spraying then view spraying schedule.

Want pesticide-free parks? Get the resources you need to work it through.

Find out where Saskatchewan stands in that regards.

Make your province pesticide-free. Write directly to your provincial

government through this direct link from the David Suzuki Foundation.

Supporting a pesticide ban - David Suzuki Foundation - ACTION REQUIRED

: http://www.davidsuzuki.org/NatureChallenge/GardenContest/Take_Action.asp.Try out all the buttons in the bar for entertaining and information. Enter the David Suzuki Digs my Garden contest for 2009. You could win a David Suzuli gnome to decorate your garden!

April

Lantic Inc. accepts Monsanto’s GM sugar despite consumer concerns

If you are not interested in consuming genetrically modified products, please consider boycotting Roger/Lantic sugar and writing to them about it. Apparently, many large food manufacturers purchase sugar from them including Cadbury.

For the second year in a row, the Canadian Cancer Society (CCS) - SK chapter, is running its postcard campaign in support of a ban on pesticides for lawns andflower gardens. The postcards will be delivered

to the SK government. Postcards are available at the CCSy-SK runs or by contacting the CCS-SK at . www.cancer.ca/sk Toll-free: 1 877 977-HOPE (4673) Telephone: (306) 790-5822
Fax: (306) 569-2133 or

Make your province pesticide-free. Write directly to your provincial

government through this direct link from the David Suzuki Foundation.

Supporting a pesticide ban - David Suzuki Foundation - ACTION REQUIRED

as of Sept 10, 2008. The David Suzuki Foundation asked Canadian retailers if they would phase out the sale of lawn and garden pesticides. See what they're doing. Update on store policies regarding pesticide sales and a letter to print, sign and deliver to garden centers.

News

2009

New Brunswick to introduce lawn care pesticide ban in September 2009.

New PAN's new What'sOnMyFood? website. The searchable site reveals what pesticides are found on which foods, in what amount, and - for the first time - links pesticide residues to the health effects associated with exposure to each of the chemicals.

Putting Health First Recommendations to Reduce Environmental Carcinogens. CCS-SK presentation to SK MLAs: requests a cosmetic pesticide law for SK, education on alternatives, and supports a Right to know legislation for products containing carcinogens.

Lindane one of nine chemicals added to POPs treaty (PanUPs May 14,2009) www.panna.org

In a late-night session in Geneva ending a week of heated negotiations, countries of the world agreed to target nine new chemicals for global elimination. Early on the morning of May 9th, the new chemicals joined twelve of the most dangerous and environmentally damaging chemicals ever manufactured already slated for elimination under the Stockholm Convention on Persistent Organic Pollutants (POPs). Last week's meeting marked the first consideration of new chemicals under the treaty since it entered into force in 2004, and reaching agreement to phase out chemicals still widely used proved difficult, according to NGO observers (PDF). For example, one of the newly listed chemicals is the pesticide lindane, a highly toxic insecticide that persists in the environment. Despite the fact that all uses of lindane have been phased out in 52 countries, a pharmaceutical use exemption was included, allowing some uses to continue for the next five years. "While we're pleased that production of lindane and its use in agriculture will now end, we're very disappointed that a loophole was added allowing use of existing stocks of lindane products to treat lice and scabies," says Karl Tupper, Staff Scientist with Pesticide Action Network North America. "This exemption in essence allows companies to dispose of existing stocks by dumping them on children's heads." A broad coalition--including governments from the European Union to Mexico, Arctic Indigenous groups, and NGOs--supported listing lindane without the exemption. The U.S., which had previously insisted on the exemption, announced at the meeting's opening on Monday that it now supported banning lindane without the exemption. Other new chemicals listed under the treaty include the by-products of lindane production, the agricultural chemical chlordecone, three types of flame retardants, pentachlorobenzene and perfluoroctane sulfonic acid (PFOS).

California’s “Top Pesticide Blunders” Report Highlights Hazards (Beyond Pesticides, April 22, 2009)

Noted Scientist Says EPA Tests for Endocrine Disruption Outdated (Beyond Pesticides, April 29, 2009)

Lawsuit Seeks to Protect Consumers from Toxic Pet Products (Beyond Pesticides, April 28, 2009), and Canadian perspective.

New Report Finds Genetic Engineering Fails to Boost U.S. Crop Yields (Beyond Pesticides, April 20, 2009)

BC Health and Environmental Powerhouses Call for Cosmetic Pesticide Ban as Election Campaign Ramps Up

White House Breaks Ground On Organic Kitchen Garden Project (Beyond Pesticides, March 23, 2009) Posted in Alternatives/Organics, National Politics, Washington D.C

European Union Completes 16-Year Review of Pesticides (Beyond Pesticides, March 20, 2009) Posted in International. Includes database on active substances.

Data Supports Eating Organic for a Safer Diet and Environment (Beyond Pesticides, March 12, 2009) Posted in Alternatives/Organics: Environmental Working Group’s recently released 5th edition Shopper’s Guide to Pesticides

Prevent Cancer Now, a Canada-wide network to eliminate preventable causes of cancer, launched a new website today to help provide Canadians with resources to fight for a cancer-free future.

Among the new materials are:·

A toolkit to help fight the dangerous technology of incineration. Incinerators emit hundreds of pollutants to our air, land and water every single day, including cancer-causing agents that build-up in our bodies. Health Canada states that the large-scale burning of municipal and medical waste is the biggest source of dioxins and furans. Despite this, many Canadian cities and municipalities are now facing new incinerator proposals.·

A renewed call on the Canadian government to phase-out and eliminate all known or suspected carcinogens in manufacturing and industrial processes, food production and consumer products. Please sign our declaration. ·

Information on the continued shameful practices of our federal government to actively promoting the use of asbestos nationally and internationally.

Visit the new website and Take Action on asbestos. You can see the latest issue at http://preventcancernow.ca/wp-content/plugins/st_newsletter/stnl_iframe.php?newsletter=1

Feel free to suggest any issues you would like to see addressed.

I guess eliminating cancer-causing pesticides and formulants would fit under the second point but SNAP will write to put pesticides on their action list.

March 16 I posted a lot the the material of the Organic Gardening Class I offer through SNAP as well as an updated version of the SNAP retailer survey form..

Feb- Mar On behalf of SNAP, Paule Hejrtaas successfully offerd 3 well-received

Organic Gardening classes, 2 in Saskatoon on Feb 21, one in French

at the Terroir conference and one for the Master Gardener program of

U of S, and one at the Parkland College in Fort Qu'Appelle on March 19.

March 4, 2009 OTTAWA: Ontario protects health and the environment through pesticide ban 250 pesticide products are now banned that comprise 82 active ingredients.

2007 2008