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The Pesticides Management CodeProtecting the environment and health in municipal environmentUpdating: March 2011
Pesticides may be used as part of your municipal activities or in your jurisdiction. They are routinely used in several sectors of activity and areas such as homes, to maintain green spaces, pest management, agriculture, forestry, road, railway and power corridors and industry. These products control most nuisance or undesirable pests including plants, insects and mites, plant illnesses, rodents and other vertebrates. Almost 9.5 million kilograms of commercial pesticides, containing 3.4 million kilograms of active ingredients, are sold each year in Québec. Using pesticides may represent a health risk and contaminate water, air and soil. The underground and surface water sampling program undertaken by the Ministère in certain areas characterised by intensive cultivation regularly reveal the presence of pesticides in the wells and rivers sampled. Also, a study carried out in Québec reveals the presence of pesticides used to treat lawns, parks and golf courses in the effluent of wastewater treatment plants.
How does the Pesticides Management Code concern you?This legislation applies to the storage, preparation and application of pesticides in all sectors of activity. Permit and certificate holders targeted by the Regulation respecting permits and certificates for the sale and use of pesticides must comply with the provisions of the Code.
Pesticide categories are based on the Regulation respecting permits and certificates for the sale and use of pesticides, and differ from the Federal categories listed on the product label.
General rules for preparation and applicationNote: The Code sections to which the regulation refers is provided as further reference, if required. The provisions below apply to any person required to hold a permit (enterprise or organization) or certificate (individual) under the Pesticides Act, for all sectors of activity.
Regulations directly affecting municipal activities
Every pesticide must be stored in premises where the ambient conditions, in particular temperature, humidity and precipitation, are not likely to alter the pesticide, its container or label. It must also be stored in such manner that its content is not released into the environment (s. 5). In addition, a sign indicating the list of certain services (e.g. the Centre anti-Poison du Québec) and their telephone numbers must be posted in a conspicuous place near the storage area (s. 21). Adequate equipment and material must be available to stop a leak or the release of pesticides (s. 20). The premises must have containment works (s. 18). Containment works means a floor, a platform or a watertight basin, built to contain and allow for the complete recovery of any pesticide leak or spillage (s. 1). It is also prohibited to store Class 1, Class 2 or Class 3 pesticides within a flood area. Certain conditions, however, apply to existing storage sites, located within a flood area (s. 16, 17 and 22). Green Spaces A municipality or metropolitan community is prohibited from applying certain pesticides containing an active ingredient listed in Schedule I of the Pesticides Management Code on lawns that it owns (s. 31). This restriction does not apply to unused parts of street rights-of-way, land that is fenced in or equipped with a watering system used only for sports purposes by persons older than 14 years of age.
Since April 2006, these pesticides are prohibited from use on private property and commercial land (s. 68).The application of a pesticide impregnated or mixed with fertilizer is prohibited, unless these products are kept in separate containers (s. 67).
A person who applies pesticides must take all measures to avoid contaminating a surface or object that must not be treated. The person must also ensure that no pet is exposed to the pesticide; that all openings through which there may be pesticide infiltration be closed (s. 70).
Road corridors The use of pesticides for the maintenance of a road corridor is subject to several regulations previously set forth in the certificate of authorization issued by the Ministère. Regulations concerning the application of pesticides address persons required to hold a permit or certificate under the Pesticides Act, whereas regulations concerning notices and reports the address owners and operators of a road corridor. The Pesticides Management Code requires that before work begins advance notices must be published in a newspaper or broadcast on radio or television (s. 63) and the regional office of the Ministère notified in writing, including certain information about the treatment plan (s. 64). Also, application distances from bodies of water, watercourses (s. 59) and where there is human activity (s. 60), called protected immovables, when applying phytocides apply and vary depending on the application technique and product used. Work must be marked off to properly identify the zones that require protecting (s. 62). Finally, the owner or operator of the road corridor must keep a register of the work (s. 65) and send to a regional office of the Ministère a report on the work that is carried out (s. 66).
Some 30 municipalities each year apply a spraying program to control blackflies and mosquitoes. These applications are carried out in water to eliminate the larvae of stinging insects, and require a certificate of authorization from the regional office as set forth by section 22 of the Environment Quality Act which requires such a procedure when applying pesticides in lakes, rivers and streams with an outlet, and also a pond, marsh, swamp and bog (with an outlet or not).The Pesticides Management Code prohibits permit and certificate holders from using pesticides to treat adult stinging insects (atmospheric treatment), unless performed as a barrier application and a larvicide application program (s. 51).
Other activities Municipalities that wish to control certain birds, like pigeons, and use an avicide to do so, must place the treated birdseed in a feeder designed to prevent the wind from carrying the seed away. The feeder must have the permit holder's name and telephone as well as the telephone number for the Centre anti-poison du Québec (s. 53). The use of strychnine is prohibited in Québec (s. 28). Municipalities that operate ornamental plant greenhouses and which carry out pesticide spraying (atmospheric treatment with a fogger or with a fumigant like nicotine) must, at the time the work begins, post a sign at each entrance to the treated premises indicating the date and time access will be allowed (s. 43 and 44).
Regulations affecting other activities carried out in municipal territoriesGolf courses Golf course owners or operators, including municipalities, applying Class 1, 2 and 3 pesticides inclusive, must every three years, as of April 3, 2006, send the Minister a pesticide reduction plan duly signed by a member of the Ordre des agronomes du Québec. During the three years preceding the plan submission, the total quantities for each category of pesticide (fungicides, insecticides, herbicides, etc.) must be compiled to determine the reduction objectives for each pesticide category. Also, several elements must be considered in the reduction plan. Requirements for the reduction plan and signposting when applying the pesticides are under sections 73 and 74 of the Pesticides Management Code. For more information, see the guide entitled Pesticide Reduction Plan for Golf Courses.
Restrictions apply inside and outside facilities used by children, namely childcare centres and other daycare services, and public and private preschools, primary schools, secondary schools, and schools for Native students. The only pesticides authorized for use in these places are biopesticides approved by the Pest Management Regulatory Agency, active ingredients listed in Schedule II and other active ingredients under certain conditions listed in section 32 of the Pesticides Management Code. These pesticides must be applied outside the establishment's care, teaching or activity periods. The application must also be followed by a period of at least 8 or 12 hours before the services or activities resume in the treated premises and meet signposting and notification requirements (s. 32 and 33). Note: Active Ingredient Trade Names (Classe 3 - Classes 4 and 5) and biopesticides. Agricultural purposes and reciprocity In addition to the general regulations governing storage and use of pesticides, the principle sections that address agricultural activities are those pertaining to the application distances from watercourses or bodies of water (s. 29 and 86), wells (s. 50) and areas of human activity (s. 52 and 86) to be respected when preparing and applying pesticides on the ground and by aircraft. The application distances are required due to the problem of reciprocity when adjacent lots juxtapose lots under cultivation. The Pesticides Management Code prescribes application distances to reduce the risk of exposure for people and contamination of wells belonging to farmers and members of the general public. To meet these requirements, farmers in certain areas must set aside a portion of their cultivated land. This situation should be taken into consideration when plotting new residential subdivisions to ensure that existing occupants are not penalized. This measure will foster good neighbourly conduct. Forests Pesticides and herbicides are used in forests principally to create growing space for recently planted young trees by eliminating competing vegetation or to fight forest pests (e.g. spruce budworm). Pesticides are applied by land or by aircraft in areas where the perimeters are clearly marked out (s. 56, 77 and 78). To notify the public, the Pesticides Management Code requires that signs be posted at the entrance to the treated areas (s. 56, 57 and 81), except when pesticides are applied by aircraft, and a notice must be published in a newspaper or broadcast on radio or television when treating large surfaces. Finally, when pesticides are applied by aircraft, certain specific application distances must be defined (s. 80), a register must be kept (s. 84), and certain information must be sent to the regional office of the Ministère (s. 83 and 85). Other activities There are regulations pertaining to other activities that may take place in municipalities, including the sale of pesticides, fumigation and the maintenance of railway and power corridors. For more information, visit the Pesticides Management Code: Highlights.
Application distances requirementsThe regulations stipulate application distances to be respected from sensitive elements, watercourses, bodies of water and water catchment works. For more information about the application distances in agricultural areas, forests and railway and power corridors, consult the Table 1.
The following table summarizes the application distances to be respected according to the premises where storage, preparation and application activities take place. Application distances to be respected during pesticide storage and use
The Pesticides Management Code and municipal regulationsOver 100 municipalities have adopted a
pesticide regulation ( Section 102 of the Pesticides Act stipulates that the Pesticides Management Code prevails over municipal legislation as follows: “The provisions of the Pesticides Management Code and of the other regulations of this Act prevail over any inconsistent provision of any by-law passed by a municipality or metropolitan community.” As such, the Pesticides Act allows municipalities or metropolitan communities to adopt municipal by-laws; however, they must ensure that these provisions do not contravene the Pesticides Management Code. In addition, municipal by-laws do not require approval from the Minister prior to their adoption. It is important to ensure, however, that such regulations do not confuse persons or enterprises that are required to conform.
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Pesticide storage
A sign must be
posted following the application of pesticides on a lawn or a paved surface
or on trees or bushes (s. 71). The sign display a warning indicating not to
touch the treated surfaces for 24 hours after application. It must also
indicate the plants treated, the active ingredient used, the date and time
of application, the registration number of the pesticide and the permit
holder’s and certificate holder’s address and telephone number (s. 72).
Stinging insects
Childcare centres and schools
The information provided in this document is in no way meant
to replace the text of the
