The petition follows up on the response provided by the Minister of Health to petition 473C. The petition states that the minister confirmed that bees are protected by the pesticide label, which must be followed by law. The petition claims that the pesticide permethrin, used for fogging, is highly toxic to bees and should not drift to crops or weeds where bees are foraging. The petition requests confirmation from Health Canada that bees are a keystone species that should be protected.
According to the petition, in southern Ontario’s cottage country, numerous properties have native and non‑native flowering plants that bloom at different times, which is beneficial for bee survival. The petition indicates that insecticide applications every 3 weeks from the spring to fall increase the chances of bees being exposed to pollen laced with pesticides. The petition questions how a technician can avoid directly fogging or allowing drift onto these plants, potentially exposing bees collecting pollen, and whether the pesticide label requires the technician to check for flowers under leaves. The petition asks whether the Pest Management Regulatory Agency will enforce pesticide label directions and halt fogging in areas where it would be nearly impossible to avoid flowering weeds. Additionally, the petition requests information on drift regulations for permethrin and asks how close pesticides can be applied to flowering weeds.