Sector Compliance Branch : Inspections

Pesticide Applicators

The Sector Compliance Branch (formerly called the Environmental SWAT Team), along with the district offices, was involved in a strategic inspection and enforcement initiative within the pesticide applicator sector.

• Background
• The Inspections
• Inspection Results

Background

In 2001, the Ministry of Environment worked with the Pesticide Industry Regulatory Council and the Pesticide Industry Council to develop a pesticide applicator enforcement program. This program was created, in part, because of the widespread existence of uncertified pesticide applicators and of non-compliance with posting requirements under Ontario Regulation 914 of the Pesticides Act.

The Ministry of the Environment was concerned that numerous people were purchasing pesticides from local hardware stores and operating businesses without an operator licence under the Pesticides Act, as well as applying these pesticides for lawn care without the necessary landscape exterminator's licence. In addition, companies that did have the proper operator and exterminator licences were using unlicenced assistants to apply the pesticides, assistants who had not been trained and certified. The Ministry of the Environment has a Memorandum of Understanding to allow the two councils to administer certification for Technicians.

Also, the ministry was concerned that companies were not posting signs to advise the public of a land extermination and, therefore, not in accordance with Ontario Regulation 914 under the Pesticides Act. The signs allow the public to make a decision on what precautions, if any, they want to take when entering a pesticide-treated area.

The Inspections

Inspections were conducted in the pesticides sector to verify that:

• pesticide exterminators and technicians hold proper licences and certification;
• pesticide exterminators hold a valid exterminator's licence; and, if not, that the exterminators hold a technician certificate for the application of pesticides;
• public notification requirements, which include proper posting of public or residential pesticide-use signs, are complied with;
• vehicle identification stickers are properly placed on the rear of the truck;
• pesticide and/or chemical warning signs are on the truck if not supervised;
• locks exist on spray tanks and pesticide containers are secure.

Inspection Results

In keeping with the focus of the inspection program, most violations were related to: no exterminator licence, no supervision of technicians by licenced exterminators, improper use of pesticide signs and improperly marked vehicles.

View a summary of results.