Edmonton City Council has shown itself to be tone deaf to the needs and wants of it’s citizens by opting to ban it’s successful aerial mosquito program.

Luckily for Edmontonians, the city still wants to spend it’s allocated budget of $507,000 on helping to solve the mosquito problem. It will achieve this through environmentally friendly solutions; such as increasing the number of dragonflies and bat boxes in the city, as well as through education. What does the city mean by education? In Counsellor Michael Janz’s (the counsellor who bought forward the motion) words’ “We’ll have residents being more aware of why that kiddie pool full of stale water is not just bad for you, it’s bad for your neighbourhood.”(https://edmontonsun.com/opinion/columnists/gunter-edmonton-city-council-would-rather-lecture-residents-than-spray-to-control-mosquitoes Thanks a lot Mike.

Strangely enough, it was just last year, in April 29 2021, that the Council opted to keep the aerial program in place due to concerns over an increase in the number of mosquitoes there would be without the aerial program in place; Global News reported; “(Edmonton) Council decided it was important to reinstate the program because there is a possibility of a 40 per cent increase in mosquito populations in outer areas of the city should wetter weather occur.” (https://globalnews.ca/news/7839090/edmonton-reinstates-aerial-mosquito-program/

The reason given for the ban was because of harm done to the environment, which you may think is an appropriate consideration. However this is despite the fact that; ”City administration said the aerial spray used for the program is approved by Health Canada. Administration told councillors there is no evidence of human toxicity or carcinogenic effects. It’s considered non-toxic to almost all organisms other than some related groups of aquatic flies.” (https://globalnews.ca/news/8736351/edmonton-eliminates-aerial-mosquito-control-program/

Furthermore, an expert in Winnipeg predicts this summer will see an increase in mosquitoes due to the ban; “If it’s a normal year you probably will see an increase in nuisance mosquitoes. If it’s a hot year you might even see an increase in vector mosquitoes (which transit disease),” entomologist Taz Stuart told CTV News Edmonton. https://www.iheartradio.ca/ctv-news-content/will-not-be-effective-edmonton-grounds-pesticide-chopper-spreading-mosquito-worries-1.17520984 Lovely. 

Vote for this petition so we can show city council that we are in favour of a mosquito free summer.