A post shared on Woods and Water Nova Scotia, Aug 30, 2024:
Forest spray sign at site in West Caledonia, Queens County. Click on image for larger version. Glyphosate is the Active Ingredient in Vision Max. View Bayer description of Vision Max
Nina Newington – Stop Spraying & Clear-Cutting Mi’kma’ki (Nova Scotia)
So ARF has already sprayed this site in West Caledonia, Queens County. That’s what the orange sticker indicates.
Look closely at the tiny letters to the left of the orange sticker. They say: “There shall be no consumption of berries and fruits within this spray site(s) for the remainder of the growing season.”
Feel better now? There’s our government looking out for our health and welfare and the health of all the wildlife that might miss this warning and eat the nice juicy berries growing in a recovering clearcut.
Pity about the frogs and salamanders and snakes killed by the spray when it touches their skin.
Sorry for the hunters too, who didn’t know that the deer and the bears didn’t know to avoid browsing the poisoned fruits and leaves.
What insanity is this? Aerial spraying of forests to kill hardwoods is completely unnecessary. Hiring workers with spacing saws to thin out the competition and favour softwoods is no more expensive and creates jobs. Better yet, stop clearcutting. Do real ecological forestry.
Industrial forestry companies like Irving and Freeman’s and Freeman’s buddy Teal chase profits at the expense of our wellbeing and the wellbeing of nature. “There shall be no consumption of berries…” sounds like the voice of God but it’s not. It’s the voice of a government department serving industrial forestry rather than looking after the common good.
From the comments:
RR: Should there not be a Large Sign of the “Health Warning” about eating the berries and the risk involved if you do eat them? Every container you buy with chemicals in it has a big health warning sign and seek medical attention if consumed. Who’s gonna guard the area so the birds and other animals do not eat the berries.
GK: By not publishing in “local publications” such as the Bridgetown Reader are they not in contravention of the agreed upon terms and conditions? Furthermore, as they agreed to the “local publication”clause , are they not bound to inform you when and if they eliminate this condition ? If this is the case, I would think you have a case and legal action is called for.
RB: It’s important to understand that NSECC accepted 7 of 14 recommendations we made regarding the Terms and Conditions to be followed by spray applicators. Most importantly:
They accepted our condition that notice of spray dates and places needed to be published in local papers digitally and in local flyers (such as the Bridgetown Reader.) They removed this condition this year, and now only publish the notice in newspapers (eg, the Chronicle Herald.) This means anyone who does not have a subscription to the Chronicle Herald will never see the notice.
While NSECC says they made these changes to make the aerial spraying process more transparent for the public, they have now done just the opposite, and made it as untrasparent as possible.
Furthermore, when a member of the public called the Kentville Environment department to ask about spraying at a certain site, they were told NSECC no longer gives that information out, because they fear people will occupy the site.
This sounds like NSECC is doing their best to help spray contractors and the industrial forestry industry instead of properly protecting the public and providing the necessary safety and health information the public needs.
The purpose of Schedule A, in the Terms and Conditions, reads as follows:
“The purpose of the signage requirements is to ensure that signage posting associated with pesticide spray application areas is done in a consistent way that prioritizes human and ecological health and environmental protection.”
Why the purpose of the “signage” rules – to prioritize human and ecological health and environmental protection – does not follow through to the rules around notifying the public is a mystery.
Please contact Minister Halman to ask 1) why NSECC has chosen to backpedal on the requirement to notify the citizens of Nova Scotia through local papers and flyers, and 2) why department employees were directed not to provide concerned members of the public with relevant information when they called about sites being sprayed.
Contact information for Minister Halman:
Phone: 902-424-3736
Fax: 902-424-1599
E-mail: Minister.Environment@novascotia.ca
E-mail: timhalmanmla@gmail.com
MD:
The saddest part about this location is that the owner of the house nearest to this sign keeps Bees… you could see the stack of plastic hives from where the image was taken.
Related
– NS government once again approves aerial spraying of NS woodlands – with a probable carcinogen
Joan Baxter in the Hfx Examier, Aug 20, 2024. Subscription required; Intro in Morning File “…The NSECC approvals for the aerial spraying of glyphosate over Nova Scotia come just one day after the New York Times published an in-depth investigation into the mysterious degenerative neurological disease that has affected dozens of people in New Brunswick and may be linked with glyphosate “that is regularly used as part of the forestry industry in New Brunswick.”
– 2024 Pesticide Spraying Approvals Issued
News Release, NS Environment and Climate Change, Aug 15, 2024. “The Department of Environment and Climate Change has issued three new approvals for pesticide spraying, covering 1,837 hectares…All approvals are posted online at: https://novascotia.ca/nse/pesticide-spray/
– Annapolis Valley, N.S., residents setting up protest encampments against aerial glyphosate spray
Kirk Starratt for Saltwire Aug 30, 2024 (subscription required).
– Spraying Season is upon us…again
Cabot Lyford in the Bridgetown Reader, Aug 23, 2024. “Spraying Season is upon us…again. It is mid-August and we are once again faced with over 100 sites where forestry companies are planning to spray Glyphosate, a herbicide with a dodgy history of environmental damage and suspected health risks…Glyphosate is a widely used herbicide that some forestry companies use to “weed” out competing vegetation in favour of crop trees. Aerial spraying is expensive financially as well as ecologically, but some companies find it more convenient than hiring workers to thin out hardwoods. The spraying kills more than the targeted species, impacting a range of organisms including, if ingested, our human gut microbiota. There are many proven and suspected effects on both the environment and human health, but the business of glyphosate is huge, so research on its effects tends to be suppressed and/or heavily biased in favour of its use. Impact of glyphosate ongut microbiota and the brain a cause for concern Glyphosate is the most widely used pesticide in the world, but what are its effects on the intestinal microbiota?…”
– Stop Spraying & Clear-Cutting Mi’kma’ki (Nova Scotia)
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