The city of Richmond moves one step closer to ban rodenticide use! Plus Saanich bans all rodenticide use on city property!!

***PLEASE SIGN THIS BC SPCA PETITION TO BAN RODENTICIDE USE IN YOUR HOMEOTOWNS HERE **

 **Update for July 20th -- Update: I have some disappointing news to share regarding this. the mayor of Richmond Malcolm Brodie moved to send the ban to staff as a referral (to get more information). Harold Steves and Michael Wolfe voted against the referral. So it won’t come to council vote next week. This might now take months sadly. However I won't give up. Hopefully the referral will just confirm the information that has already been presented. Hopefully the end decision will be positive but the delay tactic is unfortunate.So many letters of support were sent in from Owl Watch BC, BC Nature, Birds Canada, BC SPCA, Fur-bearers Defenders, Garden City Conservation Society, wildlife biologists and more but I knew the mayor is not on the side of the environment from his track record. This is a very urgent matter as they are giving free rat poison to any Richmond resident that requests it and wildlife will continue to die while they delay this.

 Update on July 13th - Saanich's motion passed and they have banned the use of rodenticides on all city property and facilities. See HERE**

 As you know I have been vocal and passionate about banning the use of rodenticides due to the secondary poisoning  that owls, raptors and mammals face. 

 As soon as I heard that the District of North Vancouver banned the use of rodenticides at their facilities I began to write the city of Richmond. Richmond gives out free rat poison to any resident who requests it. They also use it at all their facilities. Richmond has a great Barn Owl box project but I explained to them there is no point putting up boxes for them if you are essentially going to feed them poisoned rodents!. I talked about the alternative humane A24 Goodnature CO2 Trap and why this should be adopted, as it is non toxic to predators that eat the rats and also kills the rodent quick and humanely. Poison kills them slowly and painfully as they take days to weeks to die by bleeding internally... this of course also happens to owls and other raptors, coyotes and raccoons who eat these poisoned rodents as well.

 I wrote them several times before but only this time in their responses did I feel there was a real change in the belief system. I wrote to wildlife biologist Myles Lamont, Barn Owl biologist Sofi Hindmarch, OWL Watch BC and Birds Canada, The BC SPCA, the Furbearers Defenders, BC Nature, The Garden City Conservation Society who all wrote supportive emails and letters to the city of Richmond. I am grateful to them for helping me and the birds!.

 I talked to the Environmental Coordinator from the city of Richmond, Matt Discusso. He was on board to bring about change and I appreciated my meeting with him. However, without the bylaws changed and a motion being brought forward by the councillors to the mayor, nothing would change.

 I wrote to the mayor Malcolm Brodie and received a generic response back. I decided to write Richmond city councillor Michael Wolfe who is an environmentalist. He wrote back to me and said he would bring forth a motion. The motion was also seconded by Councillor Greene. It will be brought forward on July 20-2020.  

Thank you to Michael Wolfe for listening to me and making this motion and to Councillor Kelly Greene for seconding the motion. I sincerely hope this motion passes and owls and other wildlife will be more protected in the city. By the way the District of Saanich is moving towards banning rodenticide use as well. Hopefully it will set a further precedent so more cities come on board and ban the use of rodenticides and then the province as well. 

**If you are able please sign this petition which is seeking to ban the use of rodenticides in all of BC and this petition which is seeking to ban the use of rodenticides in Delta!**

 Here are the excellent details of the proposed motion by Councillor Michael Wolfe:

Notice of Motion:

Banning the use of anticoagulant rodenticides

1. That Council provide direction to staff to implement a ban of anticoagulant rodenticides in the City of Richmond and update our existing bylaws.

2. That Council request that the Mayor write, on behalf of council, to the Premier of British Columbia, appropriate ministers, copying MLAs in Richmond, requesting that the Province of British Columbia ban anticoagulant rodenticides.

3. That the City of Richmond considers cancelling or modifying the rodent control contract with the Vancouver Coastal Health Authority, to follow the local scientific evidence of the toxic reach of our existing program.

4. That Council direct staff to communicate to residents and businesses in the City of Richmond, council’s direction on this matter, the harmful impacts of anticoagulant rodenticides, and better alternatives that are available, such as the A24 trap.

Michael Wolfe M.Ed.
Richmond City Councillor

Threatened Barn Owls could soon be better protected in Richmond - Photo: Melissa Hafting
Letter from Birds Canada

Comments

  1. Brian BemmelsJuly 14, 2020 at 9:26 PM

    This is great news! Thanks for your work promoting this!!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Melissa HaftingJuly 16, 2020 at 11:59 PM

      thanks so much brian! I'm grateful as well to the bcspca, birds canada, furbearers defenders, owl watch bc and garden city conservation society for writing in letters of support to the city of richmond when i asked them for help after the motion got announced! If you are able pls sign the two petitions i have placed in the body of this post! :)

      Delete

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