What does it mean when people of every political persuasion feel that the government of the day is on the right track in limiting the use of neonics by 80% in treated corn and soy seed in an effort to save bees? Of those who would vote Liberal today, 85% think that the government is
In a North American first, the Ontario government has introduced their plan to permanently reduce use of systemic neurotoxin pesticides by 80% by 2017. They’ve picked the biggest opportunity in Ontario to make change to protect pollinator health. Of the almost seven million acres of field crops planted each year in Ontario, the two largest
On October 29, 2014, demonstrators in Ottawa, Ontario and Windsor, Ontario swarmed Lowe’s stores to send the retailer a strong message: its time to remove plants and seeds treated with bee-harming pesticides from your shelves! Despite science showing that plants and seeds treated with neonicotinoid pesticides are contributing to a decline in bee populations, and other retailers across North America
Sometime in the next three days, you may find yourself face to face with a bumble bee, a witch, a skeleton or some other spooky Halloween creature that’s asking you and your employer to do your part to save the bees. In the lead-up to Halloween 2014, Friends of the Earth and millions of its
Are You Getting Ready to Put Your Garden to Bed for the Winter? Kimberley Fellows, Pollination Outreach Co-ordinator for Pollination Canada, a project of Seeds of Diversity, was kind enough to contribute the following guest blog post on preparing your garden for winter. Kimberley shares some tips to keep in mind to keep your soil and
In a move for transparency, Ontario Premier Kathleen Wynne has made public her mandate letters to the ministers of her cabinet. In this blog post, we are cherry picking points from her letters related to pollinator health. Among her opening statements she says, “The people of Ontario have entrusted their government to be a force for good,” and
Friends of the Earth would not be able to accomplish what we have without our dedicated volunteers, working to help us stand on guard for Mother Nature. Take a look at the Sudbury Earthdancers, who have chosen Friends of the Earth Canada as a beneficiary to their annual performances for the past nineteen years!
Prince Edward County took a step that all communities can take. They passed a resolution asking the federal and provincial governments to declare a moratorium on the use of neonicotinoid pesticides as soon as possible pending further study. While they are very clear that agriculture is the foundation of their municipality, they also state the
The news for honey bees is grim. Again. The Canadian Association of Professional Apiculturists (CAPA) delivered their national report on winter-kill of honey bees. Ontario’s loss at 58 %, a jaw-dropping number, is homogenized into the average for the country at 25% – still considered high when compared to the “acceptable” winter losses considered to
Last week, I applauded Ontario’s Agriculture Minister Jeff Leal for his decision to restrict the use of neoniotinoids on farmers’ fields. To be clear, I would prefer an outright ban, but this is an important and pragmatic step to substantially reduce use of these bee-killing pesticides and shows leadership on the North American stage. According
