Owls in British Columbia are dying from secondary poisonings due to the use of black bait boxes containing rodenticides. These deaths are completely unnecessary. There are more humane and effective methods available for rodent control. Without this ban, businesses that currently rely on poisons for rodent control will NOT be forced to evolve their practices and source poison-free solutions.

We started this petition by asking The District of North Vancouver & The City of North Vancouver to act on this request. They complied and are leading the way with change. They have now banned and removed rodenticides from all city-owned & city-run properties, including recreation centres, government buildings & parks. IN RESPONSE TO THIS SUCCESS, WE ARE NOW AMENDING THIS PETITION TO INCLUDE ALL OF BRITISH COLUMBIA.

Please support us with your signature as we move forward in asking the BC Government to ban the use of rodenticides and implement a humane solution for rodent control.

You can write to: 

Environment Minister GEORGE HEYMAN

PO Box 9047 Stn Prov Govt
Rm 112, Parliament Buildings
Victoria BC
V8W9E2
CANADA 

E-Mail: ENV.Minister@gov.bc.ca

We started this petition following the rescue of Lucky, the Barred Owl featured in the photo, who was found dying in Heywood Park on April 30, 2020 due to rodenticide poisoning. It was his second poisoning in 3 weeks! After one month in rehab, he miraculously recovered & has since been released in a beautiful location near the Cleveland Dam, far away from black bait boxes. Other raptors have not been so fortunate. Since finding Lucky, we have become aware of the staggering numbers of rodent bait boxes across the lower mainland. So many are placed steps from forests, parks and primary owl habitat in North Vancouver. 

Capable of eating 1000 rodents per year, raptors are the most natural solution to the rodent problem. Let's stop poisoning their food supply!

Despite what many people are told, and what is written on labels, no poison is safe. When rodents eat poison bait, death is not immediate. It can take several days. Rodenticides ultimately cause a slow and painful death. This in itself, is inhumane.

During this prolonged period of dying, rodents become weakened from internal bleeding. This makes them easy prey for predators. When a predator catches and ingests the poisoned rodent, it too, becomes the subject of a poisoning. Sadly, many predators die as a result.

Multiple studies have shown that a wide variety of species contain traces of rodenticides, not just owls and other raptors. Foxes, bobcats, cougars, coyotes, racoons, skunks, and even pet cats and dogs can contain traces of these poisons. No animal is exempt. Even children have been made sick from ingesting the poison bait.

Rodenticides disrupt the natural food chain of our ecosystem. When we poison and kill our predators, rodents are free to breed unchecked and their population can grow out of control. Any use of rodenticides is a danger to non-target wildlife, your pets, and your family.  

Our mission: We ask that you please sign this petition and send an email asking the Government of British Columbia to officially ban rodenticides across BC and adopt more humane methods of rodent control. Specifically:

• We ask for a complete ban of rodenticides in outdoor spaces.  
• We ask for a complete removal of rodent bait boxes from all outdoor properties to be replaced by more humane alternatives.
• We ask for a change to personal and business rental contracts disallowing the use of rodenticides in outdoor environments.

References:

• Bylaw for pesticides City of North Vancouver: https://www.cnv.org/Parks-Recreation-and-Culture/Parks-and-Greenways/Plans-Policies-and-Bylaws/Pesticide-Use-Control-Bylaw
• Bylaw for pesticides District of North Vancouver: https://www.dnv.org/bylaws/pesticide-use-control-bylaw
• Canada's law about the use of rodenticides: https://www.canada.ca/en/health-canada/services/consumer-product-safety/reports-publications/pesticides-pest-management/fact-sheets-other-resources/rodenticides-agricultural-settings/questions-answers.html
• British Columbia's ruling on rodenticides: https://www2.gov.bc.ca/gov/content/environment/pesticides-pest-management/managing-pests/animals/rodents

May 2020 article about Lucky from The North Shore News: https://www.nsnews.com/news/lucky-north-van-owl-poisoned-twice-in-a-month-1.24130149?fbclid=IwAR0sW2PeWO7XDmLX7lSxpnlF7hv0uakpVwRuSs3NnheNshxCmIkKMBhUm8w

Reference this article from 2017: https://www.nsnews.com/news/owls-fall-prey-to-poison-in-north-van-1.23127211

Reference this article from 2019:
https://www.northshoredailypost.com/rat-poison-is-killing-owls-in-dnv/