2009-04-27
07:21:53
Northern Ontario will still be exposed to some of the chemicals banned by the provincial government.
That's according to an advocacy group in Timmins called STRONG, or Saving The Region of Ontario North Group.
Spokesperson Al Simard claims chemicals used by forestry companies to stop competing vegetation are still dangerous.
"This chemical that they're using, they're using in vast quantities," claims Simard. "It's a fact they're unhealthy. That's why they're being banned in urban areas. Pesticide exposure is linked to leukemia and neurological problems."
Simard says Ontario should follow Quebec's lead, where chemical herbicides are no longer used in the forests and people are hired to remove the plants by hand.
