Copied from Extinction Rebellion Mi’kma’ki / Nova Scotia Facebook Page (Posted Oct 2, 2022).
Hurray! We’ve won. There will be no more aerial spraying of glyphosate-based herbicides on our forests this year.
Big thanks to MLA Carman Kerr for his help in trying to get the government to follow its own regulations.
None of the 13 sites from Baxter’s Harbour in Kings to Concession in Clare was sprayed, thanks to all the communities who stood up and said no, you don’t. Don’t Spray Us!
Sadly in all the counties where communities did not take direct action, the aerial spraying did take place. But for today let’s focus on the ones that did stand up.
Needless to say the government and the industrial forestry practitioners won’t come right out and say we won, but win we did.
Here are the details:
This is from Carman Kerr’s post.
« Over the last couple weeks, I’ve been in regular contact with senior management within the Department of Environment and received word yesterday that the aerial spraying is once again delayed until October 20th, 2022.
The applicant must submit another newspaper advertisement and wait 20 days before spraying in our county. »
This actually applies to all of the counties where spraying was approved as the original notification was for the spray program to end on September 30th.
Nova Scotia Environment saying they can spray after another 20 days notification is pure face saving. The Approval Terms and Conditions say clearly that the Timberline and Vision Max product labels have to be followed.
The label for both states: « Apply when the undesirable species are actively growing and the foliage is full and well developed…. Undesirable deciduous species may be treated when they already have autumn colours, provided there has been no major leaf fall. »(#5.2.2)
How many of those undesirable oaks and maples and birches will still have leaves on October 20th??
Now for a moratorium on aerial spraying so communities don’t have to go through this again next year. Meanwhile let’s celebrate! For the third year in a row communities that went and camped by land that was scheduled to be sprayed were 100% successful in stopping helicopters spraying poison in their midst.
