Government Get Off of My Lawn!

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It’s been a couple of years since I’ve written about the silliness of the pesticide bans that did so much damage to the lawn care industry in much of Canada. The silliness (still very much alive) started in Hudson a tiny town of about 5,000 people in Quebec Province. From what I can gather the town’s only real claim to fame (or infamy, if you will) lies in being the spark that ignited pesticide bans aimed at the lawn care industry across much of Canada. 

In 1991 the town fathers banned several pesticide products that for years have been routinely and effectively used by homeowners and professionals alike to control weeds. After 10 years of legal wrangling between the town and two lawn care companies, the Canada Supreme Court ruled in favor of the town’s right to restrict pesticide use.

Then things really got crazy. That stimulated a flurry of activity (which continues) by fund-hungry self-proclaimed environmentalists to add their efforts to protecting Canada’s crabgrass, dandelions and other unsightly lawn weeds from further harm. (Hey, I’m being intentionally snarky here.) Not unexpectedly, they found political allies who sensed it was in their self interest "to save the public" from lawn care chemical. And off to the races we go.

Ok, enough of my smart-alecky remarks as, admittedly, I tend to get carried away.

Let Brian Lilley, host of Byline on Sun News Network, tell you what he thinks of the ban and what it means to the appearance of his home lawn in Ottawa, Canada’s capital city. Brian’s work has been featured on CNN TV and Radio, CBS Radio and on some of the top talk shows in Canada. 

Click here for Lilley’s video commentary "Government Get Off of My Lawn!"