In 2004, Alberta Environment reported that pesticide use was contaminating the provinces’s treated drinking water: “The frequency of pesticide detection in treated water supplies appears to be linked to pesticide use in the watershed.” Source: A Summary of Pesticide Residue Data from the Alberta Treated Water Survey, 1995-2003. This report contributed to Alberta’s January 1, 2010 ban of Weed N Feed products containing 2,4-D. These products are used by homeowners to maintain lawns and so this restriction does not impact the agricultural or landscaping industries.
The ban mirrored that in place at the Federal level and did not extend to other products containing 2,4-D. “Professional turf managers” (e.g., golf courses) are also exempt. (Pesticide Free? Oui! 2011, David Susuki Foundation)
However, a 2016 survey carried out by the Canadian Association of Physicians for the Environment (CAPE) and Prevent Cancer Now indicated that about 60 per cent of Albertans want the province to ban the cosmetic use of pesticides.
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