Federal Court rules hearing can proceed on pesticides blamed for bee deaths
OTTAWA — A Federal Court decision allowing a lawsuit over pesticides blamed for decimating bee populations could affect dozens of common agricultural chemicals, environmentalists say.
“This case illustrates a problem with how (Health Canada) approaches pesticide regulation and we’re hoping the court agrees with us that process needs to be tightened up,” said Lisa Gue of the David Suzuki Foundation, one of four groups behind the lawsuit.
The claim asks the court to revoke Health Canada permits for two of the country’s most commonly used pesticides — so-called neonic insecticides. This week, Federal Court rejected an appeal from Health Canada and several chemical companies to have the lawsuit dismissed.
Research suggests a link between neonics and plummeting populations of bees, which are crucial for the pollination of about one-third of human food crops.