Stop the Spray

Take action against the spraying of the herbicides on New Brunswick & Nova Scotia woodlands!

• Go HERE to download the petition against pesticide and herbicide spraying in New Brunswick. The DEADLINE for signatures is October!

• Go HERE  to sign the petition against pesticide and herbicide spraying in Nova Scotia.

• Fax, call, and email your politicians. Exercise your right to have input in the decisions that affect your health and well-being! Here are the names and contact information for leaders in New Brunswick and Nova Scotia. Sample letter is available below - but please note that letters in your own words are far more effective in getting your leaders' attention!

• Write a letter to the editor of your local paper.

Sample Letter to Your Leaders

Date

Dear LEADER'S NAME,

I am writing to demand that you put an end to herbicide spraying of our forests.

We feel that the risks to our health and environment outweigh any benefits of spraying. The active ingredient in the chemical you permit sprayed, glyphosate, has been linked to respiratory problems, birth defects, miscarriage, and cancer. A study by eminent oncologists Dr. Lennart Hardell and Dr. Mikael Eriksson of Sweden has revealed clear links between glyphosate and non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma, a form of cancer.

Glyphosate-based herbicides have also been shown to be lethal to many species of amphibians, fish, insects, and nitrogen fixing bacteria.  This pesticide has been placed under restrictions in Denmark due to research done by the Denmark and Greenland Geological Research Institution, which shows that glyphosate has the potential to contaminate water supplies. There are many examples across Canada where municipalities have made the decision to stop the use of cosmetic pesticides due to human health and environmental concerns.

We question the use of indiscriminate clear-cutting and conversion of our forests into softwood monocultures through the use of herbicide spraying and other even-aged silvicultural practices. There are many ways to manage our forests that are less destructive and that create more wealth and employment in Nova Scotia.

We would like a full public debate, informed by peer-reviewed scientific research, into adopting a pesticide code similar to Quebec’s, where forestry applications of chemical pesticides on Crown land have been banned, and on private land, require public hearings and environmental assessments.

In the interim, please do not approve any more herbicide applications for spraying our forests. I look forward to receiving your response on this critical issue.

Respectfully,

YOUR SIGNATURE

YOUR CONTACT INFO