Manitoba Health Minister Kelvin Goertzen is urging people to participate in the review of the ban on pesticides and herbicides for cosmetic use. Goertzen says it's one of the issues he has heard the most about and the review is a chance for people to put their words into action by putting them on the record. He adds the government will take the feedback seriously because, as pointed out by Steinbach city council and the Association of Manitoba Municipalities, there was no proper consultation before the previous NDP government invoked the ban.

Kelvin Goertzen"This isn't lip service. This is something that we talked about as an Opposition. We expressed concerns about how the implementation happened back then. So this is really a fulfillment of a commitment that we've made and I've had very good conversations with the City of Steinbach and AMM regarding this. I met with AMM a couple of weeks ago. This is one of the things that they raised. So this is a true form of consultation and we are looking forward to hearing what the ultimate results are and then going forward from there with the appropriate action."

Steinbach city councillor Michael Zwaagstra has repeatedly said that the pesticides have been declared safe by Health Canada as long as they are used according to directions. Goertzen says he has heard Zwaagstra's point.

"Certainly as the Minister of Health, I recognize that we need to have a balance between the things we use in our community and on our lawns and in different places, to ensure that they're being used in a safe way. But these products are being regulated and being tested so I think that city council and AMM were right to voice their concerns about the lack of consultation, whether that is on a scientific level or on a community level. I hope that this (the review) will bring us to a better place and bring us to a better balance once we get the feedback from Manitobans."


The government is accepting feedback on the pesticide ban until September 12th. Goertzen says people can submit their comments on line by simply searching for 'Survey - Province of Manitoba Sustainable Development' or they can send a letter to the Department.

He looks forward to hearing how Manitobans feel so the government can respond accordingly.