Did you enjoy your garden in bloom over the Canada Day holiday? Did you plant your garden to provide habitat for bees and other pollinators? Now you might look at those blooms with new eyes. Friends of the Earth tested nursery plants in 18 cities in North America and found Neonicotinoid pesticides (neonic) in more
New study shows that more than half of “bee-friendly” home garden plants sold at garden centres in Canada contain bee-killing pesticides! Gardeners Beware 2014, released by Friends of the Earth Canada, Friends of the Earth U.S. and the Pesticide Research Institute (PRI) has found that more than half of garden plants sampled in the U.S and Canada contain levels of neonicotinoid
It’s an article of faith that a few caring people can change the world. That you or I can make a difference. But when it comes to gardening, we’re being hoodwinked. By now, we’re all familiar with the havoc wreaked upon bees and other pollinators by a class of pesticide called neonicotinoids. We know the
The bees, birds and butterflies need your help! Bee losses have been linked to multiple factors, including varroa mite infestations, pathogens, malnutrition, habitat degradation, and the overuse of bee-killing pesticides such as neonicotinoids. Two-thirds of the food crops we eat every day require bees and other pollinators to successfully produce a crop. So it is
“After the 2012 bee deaths, PMRA instituted measures that have been ineffective given a comparable scale of bee deaths in 2013. Friends of the Earth views the measures proposed in this Notice of Intent to be similarly inadequate to the scale and gravity of the danger posed by neonicotinoids to managed and wild bees.” Friends
Friends of the Earth Canada is hosting Professor Dave Goulson in Toronto, Ontario, November 12-14.
Friends of the Earth Canada has received a brown envelope delivery of data showing neonicotinoid residue analysis for 2013 compared to 2012. Dated August 27, 2013, it shows residue in dead bees, affected bees, their pollen, honey, water, soil and vegetation. If this is the update for 2013, the bee carnage continues. “If this is
Ontario’s Endangered Species Act is a key law that protects the province’s endangered wildlife and habitat. The law is one of the best in the country. When corporations plan a project that affects species at risk, they must obtain a permit. The industry or developer must come up with a plan that protects endangered species. The company must comply with the terms of the permit, and the environmental impacts are monitored.
Farmers across Canada have been dealing with changing weather patterns in recent years. From droughts and floods in the Prairies to storms and blights in the Maritimes, people who rely on the land to make a living are suddenly being forced to adapt.
Friends of the Earth thanks Gord Miller, Ontario’s Environmental Commissioner for his timely report — Losing Touch — in which he says the Environmental Bill of Rights (EBR) is one of the most significant environmental laws of our time. Friends of the Earth has lauded Ontario as the most progressive jurisdiction in Canada in its provision of environmental rights under the EBR based on our analysis of environmental rights across Canada (“Standing On Guard,” 2009). However, today, the Environmental Commissioner said, “I am astounded by the level of disregard and contempt being shown to the statutory requirement of the Environmental Bill of Rights… Senior members of the Ontario Public Service are ignoring their responsibility to support and implement the will of the Legislative Assembly.”
