Request the services of a green space maintenance company

Green space maintenance companies offer treatments such as fertilization and pesticide application. If you decide to request their services, follow the company’s advice in order to choose a program that will rationally, safely use pesticides.

Before the work begins:

• make sure that the firm chosen has a valid permit ;
• make sure that it complies with municipal by-laws. To this end, consult the list of municipalities that regulate pesticide use ;
• discuss with the company the regular maintenance necessary to obtain healthy plants;
• request information on the company’s mowing, fertilization, and soil aeration methods;
• ascertain whether the company deals with the problem’s cause and not just the presence of pests, diseases, or weeds. You will perhaps have to modify your maintenance methods or choose plant, tree, or shrub species or varieties better adapted to existing conditions;
• discuss the use of methods other than pesticides. It may be possible to control pests, diseases, or weeds by means other than pesticides;
• demand a detailed service contract specifying the measures and their justification and the exact names, including the registration numbers of the products used. The registration number of the product used can be useful for medical practitioners or government interveners in the event of problems following an application;
• demand that the service provider obtains your authorization before undertaking a pesticide treatment.

During the work:

Individuals who apply pesticides must be certified  or be supervised by a certified individual. Ask to see the certificate before any treatment. The certificate holder must also be able to communicate information on the products used and the requisite precautions to protect your health and the environment.

Be sure that the company abides by the maintenance program agreed in writing with it. It is important for the company to emphasize localized pesticide application as a last resort while selecting the least environmentally harmful products.

Make sure that the company complies with certain rules when it applies pesticides, especially the requisite signs posted (PDF 231 Kb).

If you observe that the work was carried out or will be carried out by a company that does not possess a permit or by an individual who is not certified, or the work was carried out or will be carried out in contravention of the Pesticides Management Code , you can go to court to have the contract cancelled.

When the court declares the contract null, you may be reimbursed. If you submit a request of this nature to a court, you must also inform accordingly the Ministère de l’Environnement, de la Lutte contre les changements climatiques, de la Faune et des Parcs.

If an individual is indisposed by pesticides during a treatment, take him to a well ventilated place and ask him to lie on his side. Immediately contact the Centre antipoison du Québec  at 1-800-463-5060 and strictly follow the instructions that you are given. If the individual’s condition seems serious, take him to the hospital and bring the label or the name and registration number of the product concerned. Health Canada collects pesticide incident reports (Report a Pesticide Incident ).