Ontario & Quebec beekeepers urge premiers to take joint action to protect bees & their industry

MEDIA RELEASE: JANUARY 22, 2015

 Ontario And Quebec Beekeepers Urge Premiers To Take Joint Action To Protect Bees And Their Industry

 Milton, ON. In a joint letter to Premiers Wynne and Couillard, Ontario and Quebec beekeepers urge the premiers to keep pollinator health on the front burner. “Ontario and Quebec beekeepers recognize that our two provinces are more similar than any other Canadian provinces with regard to climate, agriculture and beekeeping challenges.” Says Léo Buteau
Président 
Fédération des apiculteurs du Québec, “Over the past years, our organizations have developed a close working relationship and are aligned on important bee health issues such as threats from pests, diseases, climate change and systemic pesticides.”

The letter calls attention to the inaction by the federal government and asks the two provincial leaders to encourage PMRA to escalate the current registration review on neonicotinoid pesticides, insist on independent research in place of a reliance on research provided by the registrants, and request transparency in data collection and access to all field data.

In addition, the two organizations encourage the premiers to insist that PMRA discontinue the use of conditional registrations and delay approval to any new systemic pesticide until they can guarantee the safety of bees. And further, the Premiers are asked to sanction a joint Ontario-Quebec pollinator advisory group that will involve both the OBA and the Fédération as well as scientists working in this field, Provincial Apiarists and representatives of both governments, to recommend policy and to stimulate research and knowledge transfer to protect pollinators.

Tibor Szabo, President of the Ontario Beekeepers’ Association notes, ”The Wynne government is showing positive leadership on many of these issues in Ontario, but Ontario is not alone. The issues we face from the overuse of neonicotinoids also affect our fellow beekeepers in Quebec.” 

Quebec and Ontario beekeepers have been meeting to discuss common issues of critical importance to bee health and the beekeeping industry.   ***

View the letter in English here.                        View the letter in French here.

 Contact (Fr)Jean-Pierre Chapleau, FAQ, responsable du dossier abeilles-pesticides, (819) 828-3009, jeanpierrechapleau@gmail.com

 Contact (Eng) Julie White, Board Member, OBA enews@ontariobee.com, (647) 988-5942