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OPINION Town councillors will have one less choice to make in the future thanks to a decision by the Ontario govern- ment to introduce a province-wide ban on the sale and cosmetic use of pesticides. On Monday, Premier Dalton McGuintys Liberal party announced it would keep an election promise to intro- duce legislation making Ontarios pesticide rules among the toughest in North America. A province-wide ban which isnt expected to come into effect until the spring of 2009 would supercede all existing municipal bylaws, making the rules the same throughout Ontario. The pesticide ban would not affect the farming or forestry industries and golf courses would still be able to apply pesticides with some limitations to minimize envi- ronmental impact. Pesticides will also still be used for health and safety, such as controlling mosquitoes, which can carry diseases like West Nile virus. Many municipalities have already shown leadership in banning or restricting cosmetic-use pesticides. Were extending that protection to all families wherever they live, said Ontarios Environment Minister John Gerretsen. Quebec is currently the only Canadian province with a pesticide ban in place. To ban pesticides has been an annual controversy in Halton Hills. According to the provincial government, studies by public health experts are showing growing evidence of the potential health risk of pesticides, particularly for children. Both the Ontario College of Family Physicians and the Canadian Cancer Society have been calling for a ban on the cosmetic use of pesticides as a prudent mea- sure to protect family health. According to the province, more than 44 per cent of Ontarians already live in a municipality where the cos- metic use of pesticides is banned. Halton Hills councillors have edged closer to joining that club in recent years, adopting a pesticide use as a last resort policy on Town-owned lands. However, council have avoided forcing the hand of private proper- ty owners. Now it looks as though that contentious decision has been taken out of their hands altogether. To spray or not to spray Steve Nease LETTERS TO THE EDITOR Dear editor, I read the letters in Wednesdays paper regarding the GreenCart pro- gram, and Im surprised by the reac- tion of some of the residents of the region. I was particularly discouraged by the Grade 7 student who couldnt be bothered to make an effort for her future. However, I take comfort in knowing that she is among the minority and if our neighbourhood is any indication, the people of Halton Region do care and they are willing to step up and make a difference. My husband and I have been recy- cling, composting (we have three backyard composters) and doing what we can to reduce our garbage for years. The addition of the GreenCart now allows us to compost the last little bit of food scraps that couldnt go into our regular backyard compost bins. We are hard-pressed to generate even a third of a garbage bag worth of garbage every two weeks from our family of three (and three pets) and we are proud of the fact that we take a bit of our time to make a difference on the impact we are having on the environment. If Halton Region were to accept cat lit- ter and dog waste into the green cart, as they do where our son lives in Guelph, our garbage would be reduced even further. I know that weve been told there is a concern regarding germs, but if its working in Guelph, why not here? In answer to the question What goes in the garbage? my answer would be hopefully very little if any- thing at all! Finally, in closing I would like to encourage everyone, whether or not you live in the townhouses and apartments that have been told they cant participate in the GreenCart program, to let your voice be heard. Earth Week is the week of April 18-26. Do your part by picking up the phone or e-mailing your council- lor and letting them know that by denying those people access to the program they are impacting all of us in Halton Region. Linda Kittmer ,Georgetown Reaction to GreenCart discouraging Letters to the editor must include an address and daytime telephone number. Unsigned letters will not be published. Letters should not exceed 200 words and may be edited for content and/or length. E-mail: jmcghie@independentfreepress.com Mail or drop off: Independent & Free Press, 280 Guelph St., Unit 29, Georgetown, ON., L7G 4B1 Publisher Ken Nugent Advertising director Steve Foreman (sforeman@independentfreepress.com) Retail advertising manager Cindi Campbell (ccampbell@independentfreepress.com) Managing editor John McGhie (jmcghie@independentfreepress.com) Distribution manager Nancy Geissler (distribution@independentfreepress.com) ADVERTISING Advertising co-ordinator Jennifer Christie (jchristie@independentfreepress.com) Retail Sales: Jennifer Spencer (jspencer@independentfreepress.com) Brendan Louth (blouth@independentfreepress.com) Amy Sykes (features@independentfreepress.com) Andrea Lefebvre (alefebvre@independentfreepress.com) Real estate: Sue Spizziri (realestate@independentfreepress.com) Classifieds: Kristie Pells (classified@independentfreepress.com) ACCOUNTING Rose Marie Gauthier, Michelle McEachern EDITORIAL Cynthia Gamble: News editor (cgamble@independentfreepress.com) Ted Brown: Photography (tbrown@independentfreepress.com) Lisa Tallyn: Staff writer (ltallyn@independentfreepress.com) Eamonn Maher: Staff writer/sports (emaher@independentfreepress.com) PRODUCTION: Mary Lou Foreman, Kevin Powell, Shelli Harrison, Dolores Black, Debbie MacDougall STAFF DIRECTORY Send us a letter! Phone: 905-873-0301 Fax: 905-873-0398www.independentfreepress.com Something bugging you? What do you think? Below are the results of our most recent online poll. For the current poll go to www.independentfreepress.com Did you take part in the Halton Hills 20-Minute Makeover on Friday or Halton Hills Clean Up Day on Saturday? Yes (59%) No (41%) The Independent & Free Press is published Wednesday and Friday and is one of several Metroland Media Group Ltd. community newspapers. Editorial and advertising content of The Independent & Free Press is protected by copyright. Unauthorized use is prohibited. THE INDEPENDENT & FREE PRESS Dear editor, Wow arent many of our letter writers lazy? It seems it is so much easier to just throw everything in the garbage than to take the required two or three extra steps to place our recy- clables in those little bins. One young reader doesnt want her doggy-doo outside her house. Another older gentleman thinks he may need serious surgery if he must cut down his cardboard. What, is he using a chainsaw? And he com- pares us to A war zone in Baghdad? Granted, our new waste manage- ment system has had less than a smooth start, but are we really so apathetic? Our esteemed letter writ- ers probably were allowed to have second chances during their own tri- als. I think they are just plain lazy! Josh Crocker, Georgetown Opposers of GreenCart are just plain lazy Dear editor, As new homeowners and relatively new residents to Georgetown, we appreciate the bulk waste collection that occurs here. What we do not appreciate is other homeowners prac- tices regarding bulk waste collection. Is it really necessary to place your bulk waste at the roadside two or three weeks before pick-up day? For weeks, everyone, including visi- tors and potential future residents of Georgetown, has to look at it. Furthermore, many people do not bundle the waste correctly (or at all) or they place non-acceptable items out. When this waste does not get picked up, it then stays at the roadside for a few more weeks, continuing to make Georgetown look dumpy. Please have some respect for the town and your neighbours as you uti- lize the bulk waste collection system; dont put the garbage out so soon and clean up what doesnt get taken. And if the Town really wants to earn some additional revenue, perhaps they should fine those who put the bulk waste out too early or those who dont clean it up when it doesnt get collected. Doreen and Scott Calder, Georgetown Homeowners putting out bulk waste too early 6 Independent & Free Press, Wednesday, April 23, 2008