Glyphosate spraying starts in area forests despite opposition

Christian Gammon-Roy

Tribune

The Ministry of Natural Resources and Forests (MNRF) has gone ahead and begun spraying patches of area forests with a glyphosate-based herbicide this week, despite public outcry and opposition from both Nipissing First Nation and the Municipality of West Nipissing.

Herbicide spraying in Ontario forests is a contentious issue, as made evident locally by a protest on Tuesday, August 12. Roughly 50 people gathered to decry the planned spraying outside city hall in Sturgeon Falls, just ahead of a meeting where town council also passed a resolution requesting that the MNRF “reconsider the planned use of glyphosate-based herbicides in the Nipissing Forest and suspend the aerial spraying initiative until further independent research and updated risk assessments are completed and reviewed.”

Nipissing First Nation also hosted a rally outside MPP Vic Fedeli’s office in North Bay on August 15 and released a statement opposing the herbicide spraying. “Nipissing First Nation does not agree with spraying of glyphosate over large areas of forest for forest management. There is conflicting data on how these chemicals and their by-products (…) affect humans. There is also no solid scientific proof that they are safe for our traditional resources: the animals and plants that we, as Nishnaabeg (the people of Nipissing), harvest,” reads the statement.

Of course, a municipal council or First Nation band resolution can’t override provincial jurisdiction, and the MNR did go through with the herbicide spraying scheduled to start August 20^th. However, local officials hope that the resolution will get the province’s attention on the matter going forward. With Moonbeam township passing a similar resolution on August 7, they hope that if enough voices join in, the province will have to address the issue.

WN Council was unanimous is asking for a halt. “Councillor [Jamie] Restoule brought the resolution forward. He works in the area of health and has a good background in these things. Additionally, he’s a member of Dokis First Nation, and works in health within first nations,” explains mayor Kathleen Thorne Rochon. “I think all of our members felt that if this was an issue that councillor Restoule felt strongly about giving his position and his knowledge on, we were comfortable in supporting the very minimum, which is an ask for further scientific study and an evidence-based approach to policies.”

Council members, and residents who came out to demonstrate, point to a handful of concerns that they would like addressed. According to Sturgeon Falls resident Corrin Smith, who organized the local rally, aerial spraying of the herbicide represents a risk to local ecology, killing plants that should be growing in the forest, and ruining the food supply for local fauna. Another common concern is the cancer risk from glyphosate. “There’s going to be a buffer zone for human safety, it’s supposed to be very controlled, but I still don’t like the idea of these helicopters just raining down herbicide on wild animals and in the forest,” she says.

Expanding on the subject of cancer risks, Councillor Restoule is worried that the current research isn’t exhaustive enough. “I’ve read from studies that have looked at the potential increase of certain cancers, based on some of the chemicals used in the spray. I think that’s something they were supposed to do more research on, but I don’t think it’s been conducted yet,” he notes. Restoule says he’s heard claims that the herbicide spray contains ingredients that are banned from use on someone’s grass at home due to negative effects to pet health. “We’re spraying this in a vast area where there’s all kinds of wildlife. So, what’s the concern for that whole population, and does that affect hunting and fishing?” he questions.

Smith and the mayor acknowledge that the purpose of the herbicide spraying isn’t anything nefarious. The spraying is being done to help newly planted trees take root after an area has been cut for logging. The herbicide makes it so that other plants are killed off, and new trees don’t have to compete for the soil. “I understand we need houses; we need wood. That is important, but there’s got to be a better way to do it,” says Smith, adding that a less chemically invasive way to manage logging should be considered. Thorne Rochon echoes the sentiment. “Clearly the forestry industry, and I don’t just mean on a profit level but on managing sustainable forestry harvesting, sees value in it. So, it’s not necessarily asking them to stop and not do it, but we need to understand what the risks are, and if there are options that don’t have the negative environmental or health impacts,” she states.

The mayor adds that Quebec has discontinued the practice since 2001 and suggests looking into “what they are doing in their forests that is allowing them to still have a profitable and viable forestry industry without the use of these products.” The mayor does highlight that experts from the MNRF and from Nipissing Forest Resource Management Inc, who manage the herbicide spray, are experts in their fields when it comes to environmental sciences. “These aren’t ‘kill the environment’ kind of people,” she says, pointing out that there is room for collaboration on finding a better way forward.

Health and environmental concerns aside, there is also the issue of First Nations feeling sidelined on decisions pertaining to their lands. A demonstrator from Nipissing First Nation decried that consultation with First Nations is lacking on the matter of herbicide spraying. She says the provincial government making land acknowledgments, but then not consulting the Treaty people living on those lands, makes them seem insincere. Wanting to contrast this, Councillor Restoule says the resolution was brought up in West Nipissing partly as an “opportunity to put some action behind our words that we share every meeting.” Much of the push back against the herbicide spraying in Ontario has come from First Nations communities, and both Thorne Rochon and Restoule say West Nipissing had a responsibility to be a good community partner and stand with their neighbours on this matter.

Expert addresses concerns, and empathizes with doubters

One might be overwhelmed with information when trying to look into the safety of the glyphosate spray. Abundance of information isn’t always a blessing when much of it is either incomplete, contradictory or unverified, and even West Nipissing council members admit that some of the information they’ve received has come from unverified sources. That’s not to say the concerns should be dismissed, says Scott McPherson, General Manager of Nipissing Forest Resource Management Inc, who took the time to address some of the common concerns regarding the herbicide spray.

McPherson acknowledges that the herbicide spraying program, which has been ongoing for the past several years, has caught some increased attention this year. “We’ve had a lot of interest in the program this year, more than any other year, and it is a yearly program; nothing has changed on that front,” he says. A lack of public notice this year might be what has caused this outcry, he guesses. “The notification process through the Ministry of Natural Resources has changed a little bit in that they haven’t had as much detail on their social media notices, and I think that’s been part of the issue that people just don’t have the information,” he suggests, adding that their website does have a lot more information.

McPherson goes over the vetting process that glyphosate goes through to be approved for use. “The Ministry of Natural Resources is one of 3 agencies involved, but there are 3 levels of government approvals here. First of all, Health Canada regulates pesticides across Canada, and glyphosate is a product that they’re responsible for regulating. Under their authority, Health Canada registers pesticides after a stringent, science-based, evaluation and ensures minimal risk,” he explains, adding that the process is done on a regular basis to ensure that products continue to meet current standards.

After the federal level approval, McPherson says that there is a provincial level process under the Ontario Pesticides Act. “Before a pesticide, including herbicide, can be used or sold in Ontario, it must be registered under the Pest Control Act regulated by the Ontario Ministry of the Environment, Conservation and Parks,” he continues. Furthermore, the MECP also issues the permits for the Nipissing Forest Management Inc. to carry out their projects. “They evaluate where it’s happening and when, what are the water buffers, the method of application. When they’re satisfied with all of that, they issue a permit,” he explains, adding that the third level of vetting comes from the MNRF who approve the plan before it goes to the MECP for the permit. McPherson adds that there is plenty of consultation throughout this process, which takes several months to complete. Consultation notices go out, inviting people to comment, and ensuring that the project is transparent.

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