Herbicides among Hydro One's tools
As herbicide use in rural and forested areas remains a sore point with environmentalists, First Nation groups and some opposition MPPs, Hydro One continues to use chemicals as part of its efforts to control unwanted tree growth in transmission corridors. The utility says it does so in ways that minimize risk, though opponents to the practice maintain non-chemical methods are just as effective and safer for human health. "Herbicides are never used in proximity to open water courses, including rivers and creeks," a Hydro One spokeswoman said this week in an email. Starting next week, the utility plans to include herbicide spraying as part of brush-control work along its transmission corridors in sections of Shabaqua, Conmee, Oliver Paipoonge and Finmark townships. Hydro One says the work is needed to prevent trees and bushes from growing up into its power lines. "This work is done to support the safe and reliable delivery of electricity and ensures our crews can access power lines to perform maintenance or emergency repairs," the spokeswoman said. In addition to employing backpack sprayers, crews are to use saws and other equipment. When it does apply herbicide, Hydro One is to use two products: Garlon RTU and Navius Flex, both of which it says are "federally and provincially approved." Affected property owners are to be notified of the work, which is to continue until May 31, the utility says. "Every effort will be made to leave compatible, low-growing vegetation, which will assist in reducing future maintenance requirements," a Hydro One notice said. Though some herbicides are designed to be "selective" to impact only specific plant species, opponents say that during spraying, cancer-causing agents can migrate through wind and rain and end up being consumed indirectly by birds and animals. In the legislature last month, Sudbury-area NDP MPP France Gelinas presented a petition with more than 300,000 signatures calling on the province to ban herbicide use in forests, as Quebec has done for nearly 25 years. "They want the Ontario government to realize that there is a wide variety of non-chemical alternatives to what is currently being used to effectively meet vegetation management needs," Gelinas told the legislature. "Many areas of (Ontario) do not allow chemical herbicides to be used," Gelinas added. "But on Crown land in Northern Ontario, on First Nations territory in Northern Ontario, they are used all the time." "Many, many cancers are directly linked to the use of those sprayed herbicides," Gelinas added. Anyone with questions about Hydro One's brush-clearing work can contact the utility by calling 1-877-345-6799, or by email at community.relations @hydroneone.com.
Carl Clutchey, Local Journalism Initiative reporter, The Chronicle-Journal
