Councillors in the City of Guelph have recently received correspondence from the Urban Pest Management Council of Canada (UPMCC). The UPMCC represents the manufacturers, formulators, distributors and allied associations of specialty pest management products.The UPMCC is involved in all aspects of industry-wide and public education, communication, stewardship, legislation and regulation appropriate to pest management in the urban environment.
The UPMCC states that “municipalities have no authority to ban the sale of (pesticide) products” in Canada and that the use of pesticides adds value to residential properties.
The UPMCC also states that “there are bona fide benefits to community health and the environment from the use of pest control products”.
To read the full report click here.
News Feed
Celebrate Guelph! Bring back the street festival
This entry appeared on-line recently advocating the return of a Guelph themed street festival.
One upon a time, Guelph had Streetfest, and when that folded, Guelphfest. These fantastic community festivals brought thousands into Downtown Guelph and celebrated our city. In the last few years, we have not had either of these festivals to celebrate our city. Now is the time to bring back that kind of festival but in a bigger and better celebration of our community!
I purpose creating a week long event called “Celebrate Guelph! “- A celebration of all things Guelph. From History to Food and everything in between, it will bring Guelphities closer together and help them re-discover how great this community is!
Two sides to pesticides in Ward 6!
Two letters about pesticides from constituents in Ward 6:
I am writing to you to voice my concerns about the proposed pesticide by-law in Guelph.
My concerns are two-fold:
Although many other municipalities have implemented or have attempted to implement such by-laws, it doesn’t mean that we need to as well. Pesticides is a hot issue in today’s socieety; however, It is highly inappropriate that the municipalities should ban the use of products that are highly regulated and screened by highly trained scientists within Health Canada – Pest Management Regulatory Agency.
Gummer Building Update
An update on the status of the Gummer and adjacent buildings affected by the Good Friday fire.
Clean-up efforts involving the City, property owners, insurers and contractors continue following last Friday’s fire that devastated two downtown buildings and affected a number of others. Safety of the public and preservation of the limestone building facades remain key priorities for all parties.
Initial assessments of both buildings have been conducted by independent structural engineers. To date, assessments of the Gummer Building confirm there are no immediate internal or external structural issues below the damaged fourth storey.
What to do with plastic bags? Part 2 Recycle
There is continuing dialogue in this and other communities on what to do with the proliferation of plastic shopping bags. The following exchange deals with recycling.
I had always assumed that was no market for recycled plastic bags, and that’s why they appear to be one of the biggest items in our clear bags. The following story suggests there is a Southern Ontario market for 5.6 million kilos per month, and only a 181K kilos supply!! Is there there any way we could take advantage of this market with our current recycling regime?
Ban the use of pesticides….please!
Letters to Councillors in support of banning the cosmetic use of pesticides in the City of Guelph.
Firstly, I applaud your decision to finally allocate monies for education about pesticides into the current budget. The by-law that was approved in principle by the previous council is weak. It would be extremely difficult to enforce, and allows on many days of the year spraying of noxious chemicals solely for cosmetic reasons. I feel that the public can only benefit from your planned education campaign.I have spoken to council before on this issue, and a number of other local physicians share my concern that pesticides are a health risk to the community.
City of Guelph Community Energy Plan Final Report
For over two centuries, the ready availability of low cost energy has allowed the world’s industrialized countries to achieve unprecedented levels of well being and prosperity. Recent dramatic increases in costs and price volatility are putting the spotlight globally on how effectively we use energy. The rapid growth of China and India is putting further pressure on the world’s energy supplies and climate. Despite its plentiful energy resources, Canada is increasingly exposed to the full force of the global energy market pressures and can look forward to energy costs trading upwards combined with pricing uncertainty.
…batteries not included!
This item appeared April 9 on our “Tyrannical Pesticide By-law” posting:
I want to talk about batteries – but don’t know how to start a new thread here.
Batteries are going into landfills. The contamination is *insane* and our supposedly environmentally concerned councillors don’t make a peep about that. How about a battery re-cycling center at city hall? I’d be into that – just don’t make a separate battery bag I need to use or I’ll just keep wrapping them in a kleenex and putting them in the green bag. KW
The following day, this item appeared in the Guelph Mercury.
Consumers recycle only about two per cent of batteries they use
Why save the Gummer Building?
We’ve all often heard the expression, “It’s cheaper to build new than it is to reconstruct.” That’s not true. I’ve always found that it’s much cheaper to use an existing structure. Now, doing so is more complicated, and you actually have to be a better builder to do that kind of work, but if you know what you’re doing, it costs you less money. A lot of the building is already done – you already have your structure – so that’s why it’s much cheaper.
– Donald Trump
While we are not ones to normally quote the great wigged one, clearly Mr. Trump realizes the financial benefits of heritage preservation.
Heritage Presentation PP
heritage power point