Thursday, June 11, 2009

Putting MOE on notice


So Ontarians have been living with the provincial bylaw for a few months now and the weeds have had a field day- no pun intended.

It's not that I mind so much having to pull the weeds when I'm out doing applications- it's just a little more time consuming than applying Sarritor, (which I can't get anyway because a chosen few have a monopoly on the product), or spot spraying Top Gun and Eco Clear that will also burn the grass.

What I do take issue with, is the fact the government wants to have their cake and eat it too- an all too familiar scenario.

You see, now that Lawn Care Providers are forced to operate under new eco-friendly standards, (forget IPM altogether brother), they are still required to have an operating licence from the Ministry of the Environment.

Yet, I can live with the $200.00 dollar cash grab every year and pony-up the dough.

MY problem- and it's a big one- is WHY do I still need $200,000.00 on my insurance in case of environmental damage for organic applications? Not only does this drive my premiums through the roof and cost you, the consumer, more, it's hard for a smaller operator to get.

I'm told by the Ministry, I need this because the corn glutens and the nematodes that I use still have to go through a testing phase and have PCP numbers. I might buy this line if I could actually find a PCP number on my nematodes, but I can't.

I guess they figure we are all brainless twits that have nothing better to do with our day than stand on a bridge and dump bag after bag of fertilizer into the lake.
Maybe we are....I mean, look at the above picture. The lawn stake has been inserted incorrectly. It looks like I'm being told there is "No ice" which I wouldn't expect to find on a lawn anyway.

So, I'm putting the Ministry and any half-wit politicians on notice while they're playing a round of golf on their weed-free fareways; take a serious look at your regulations gentlemen before you add to the ever growing list on the unemployment line.