24 AUGUST 2015

Fredericton – In August, Forest Protection, a company operating on behalf of the Department of Natural Resources, began spraying glyphosate product over crown lands by helicopter.

In April, David Coon, MLA for Fredericton South and Leader of the Green Party of New Brunswick asked the Minister of Environment, Brian Kenny, to deny requests for permits to spray glyphosate products due to its classification by the World Health Organization as a probable carcinogen. Minister Kenny deferred responsibility to Health Canada and its ongoing evaluation process.

“Policy tends to lag scientific knowledge and it is the responsibility of our leaders to protect the public in such cases,” said Coon. “New Brunswick simply cannot afford to wait for the federal government to move on this.”

Glyphosate was deemed a probable carcinogen due to higher incidence of Non-Hodgkin’s Lymphoma (NHL) in populations occupationally exposed to the chemical.

“This is urgent in New Brunswick now,” said Coon. “Our government cannot continue deferring responsibility for tough decisions. The Minister needs to cancel the permits and withhold permission to spray glyphosate in the future.”

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