Calgary will start phasing out the cosmetic use of pesticides in 2010, after city council voted to back the idea this week.

Pesticides, which include insecticides, fungicides and herbicides, are suspected of causing health problems ranging from cancer to attention deficit disorder. A March 2006 poll indicated that 80 per cent of Calgarians support a pesticide ban.

“We’re glad that the aldermen respected the wishes of Calgarians,” says Robin McLeod, an anti-pesticide campaigner. “This is a great step.”

City staff have until fall 2009 to draw up a bylaw, which will then go back to council. Under the proposed new rules, the city will stop using pesticides for beautifying city parks in 2010, and homeowners will have to stop using the chemicals by the end of 2011.

The ban has been contentious, with several aldermen reversing their positions and the lawn care industry lobbying to stop the bylaw. The industry argues that pesticides are safe if used correctly, and public education is more effective than an outright ban. “We feel really strongly it should be applied properly,” says Brian Gibson, a vice president at lawn care company Green Drop. “We still feel strongly (the problem) is the misuse.”

The debate on the ban lasted two days. Initially, council planned a series of exemptions that would have allowed the city to use pesticides for health and safety purposes or for urban agriculture. The exemptions were voted down, however, when Ald. Ric McIver tried to exempt lawn care companies from the bylaw. (AM)