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Departments > Parks, Recreation and Community Development > Parks Division > Pesticide Reduction QuicklinksReducing Our Reliance on Pesticides: As a community, we need to reduce our reliance on chemical pesticides and learn new ways to achieve beautiful lawns and gardens. In February 2008, the City of Victoria became the first municipality in the Capital Region to adopt a bylaw to regulate the use of pesticides on residential and public property. Enforcement of the bylaw begins January 2009.
A fact sheet has been developed to help explain how the Pesticide Use Reduction Bylaw works, whom it applies to, and what it involves. In January 2009, it will be distributed to Victoria households and will be made available at a variety of locations.
A fact sheet has also been developed for landscape professionals and is being distributed with the assistance of the BC Landscape and Nursery Association (BCLNA). Laminated print copies are available at the City of Victoria Bylaw Office at 625 Pandora Avenue.
An information package is being developed for landscape professionals and will be distributed with the assistance of the BC Landscape and Nursery Association (BCLNA). The City of Victoria is also participating in a region-wide initiative led by the Capital Regional District, that encourages residents to take the pledge to go pesticide-free. Why Do We Need a Bylaw? The Pesticide Use Reduction Bylaw is in place to protect the natural environment by regulating and reducing the non-essential (cosmetic) use of pesticides, specifically on lawns, trees, shrubs, and flowers, to beautify residential and public property. The bylaw still allows pesticides to be used on hard landscaping surfaces such as driveways, sidewalks, curbs, and gutters, as well as on or inside buildings. A pesticide can be long lived. It often spreads from where it is applied and can easily move through the air, land and water to our lakes, streams and ocean. Although an individual lawn or garden may seem quite small, the cumulative effect of pesticide use on many lawns and gardens can have a significant impact on a neighbourhood and our environment. Who does the bylaw apply to? Who does the bylaw not apply to? As well, the bylaw does not apply to the management of pests that are designated as invasive species, and the application of pesticides: on residential areas of farms; on or inside buildings; on land used for agriculture, forestry or transportation; or on land used for pipelines or public utilities unless the pipeline or utility is City-owned. What is a Pesticide? Pesticide is the general term for any substance designed to eliminate undesired insects, weeds, rodents, fungi, bacteria and other organisms. Pesticides come in many forms and can be categorized as insecticides (for insects), herbicides (for weeds), and fungicides (for fungal diseases). How do I know if a product is a pesticide? Are there any pesticides that I can still use?
Permit Process - A Last Resort If pesticide alternatives have not worked or are not available, and the pest infestation threatens the integrity of sensitive ecosystems or poses a serious environmental or economic loss to an owner or occupier of land, a permit to use a pesticide may be issued by the City of Victoria. What does the permit process involve? Please complete an application in full and email, fax or mail it to the contact information below. Applications can also be dropped off in person at the Bylaw office at 625 Pandora Avenue, Monday - Friday, from 8 a.m. - 4:30 p.m. Allow seven working days for processing as a site inspection is required to determine if a permit can be issued. The site visit will also determine the number of notification signs required on a property when a pesticide is used. Signs are $5 each and are refundable upon return. Applicants will be notified whether their application has been approved or declined. If approved, an applicant will be asked to visit the Bylaw office to pick up the permit, pay the $25 fee and $5 for each required refundable lawn sign. Payment can be made by cash, cheque, debit or credit card.
Contact: Legislative and Regulatory Services Department Are there restrictions for permitted use? Pesticides cannot be applied when wind exceeds 8 km/hr, in the rain or when rain is forecast, or when temperatures exceed 27 degrees Celsius. For a complete list or restrictions, see the Pesticide Use Reduction Bylaw - [PDF 52KB]. Enforcement When enforcement of the Pesticide Use Reduction Bylaw commences in January 2009, Bylaw officers will be focusing on educating residents and industry professionals for the first three months, rather than issuing tickets. However, repeat offenders may be issued tickets during this grace period. Starting April 2009, Bylaw officers will issue tickets for the non-essential use of pesticides on residential and public lawns, trees, shrubs and flowers. Contravention of the bylaw or the conditions outlined in a pesticide permit, may result in fines ranging from $250 to $1,000 depending on the offence. The fine for spraying a pesticide for non-essential use on residential or public lawns, trees, shrubs and flowers is $1,000.
Residents who are concerned about the possible non-essential use of pesticides in their neighbourhood, can contact the City of Victoria Bylaw Office at 250.361.0215. Gardening Without Pesticides Pesticides and chemical fertilizers can be counter-productive in a healthy garden and lawn, damaging beneficial insects and ecosystems, and masking poor plant health. There are ways to support, rather than suppress, a lawn and garden's biodiversity and increase the health of plants - naturally. Aliens in the Garden, a free, two-hour, outdoor workshop, was offered by the City of Victoria three times in March to provide residents an opportunity to learn how to identify Spurge daphne and Tree lupine, and how to safely remove these invasive species from their gardens without the use of pesticides. A fact sheet on these invasive plants was delivered to Victoria residents by mail. Copies are available at the Public Service Centre at City Hall, the Beacon Hill Park Maintenance Yard office, Crystal Pool and Fitness Centre, and Greater Victoria Public Libraries. Workshops This spring, the City of Victoria offered a variety of free gardening workshops to provide the public an opportunity to learn ways to garden without pesticides. Participants learned how to safely remove two invasive plants from their yards, the benefits of gardening with native plants, and how to plant and maintain a lawn without pesticides. A Compost Open House was held to celebrate Earth Day and inform participants about the organic recycling process at City parks. Members of the public were invited to bring a bag, bucket or wheelbarrow to take home some well composted "earth." Close to two hundred students from four local schools also participated in the event. CRD Workshops The City of Victoria is also sponsoring organic gardening and lawncare workshops offered for free to the public through the Capital Regional District. For more information, click here. Gardening Tips
Related Links To learn more on how to garden without the use of pesticides, visit:
How to Dispose of Pesticides Household hazardous waste is any toxic product located within a home that poses a threat to public health and the environment when handled, stored and/or disposed of improperly. Pesticides are one example of household hazardous waste. For information on how to properly dispose of unused pesticides and old pesticide containers: Victoria's Integrated Pest Management Program Recognizing a need for environment stewardship of its parks and public green spaces, the City of Victoria initiated an Integrated Pest Management (IPM) program in 1992. An IPM program uses multiple, compatible methods to maintain pest populations at levels below those that cause economic (aesthetic) injury, while providing protection against hazards to humans, domestic animals, plants and the environment. Reducing the use of chemical pesticides is a major goal of the program. The City of Victoria does not apply pesticides for non-essential use on public lands, which includes boulevards, medians, parks, playing fields, play lots, picnic areas and playgrounds. In the event of an infestation, City staff identifies the pest, evaluates the extent of the infestation with respect to its potential environmental and economic impact on the City’s infrastructure, examines pest management opportunities and selects management options that will have the least impact on the environment. If a Pest Control Product (PCP) is required to manage an infestation, a pesticide would be used within the framework of the City's IPM Policy. How an IPM Works The City of Victoria also uses IPM principles in the design and construction of landscapes to:
As a result of the City's IPM program, Parks staff has seen a decrease of 97.25% in the use of chemical pesticides (by comparing the total chemical product used by weight per year prior to the IPM program versus after the establishment of the IPM program). Climate change is providing new pest pressures to Victoria's landscapes. Using problem solving methods inherent to integrated pest management has better equipped Parks staff to meet these challenges. Encouraging and promoting IPM strategies within BC is one of the primary goals of the Pesticide Branch of the BC Ministry of Environment Lands and Parks. Since 1994, it has been a requirement that Pest Control Service Licensees in the public sector submit Pest Management Plans with their applications for landscape pest control licenses. The City of Victoria's Pest Management Plans were used as a template and teaching example for the institution of Pest Management Plans throughout the Province. Contact Us For more information on the Pesticide Use Reduction Bylaw, contact: Bylaw Office
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