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Post NB Election Update

Dear supporters, we have good news! SSNB board members had a very good first meeting right after the 2024 provincial election, on November 1, 2024, with Moncton Liberal MLA Alexandre Doucet and Education Minister Claire Johnson, whom had both signed our pledge during the NB Election 2024 campaign!

They were so generous with their time. We finally have advocates for the #StopSprayingNB issue inside a governing political party. This means that they will work to get other elected members on side in our new Government of New Brunswick. We will post updates.

The NB Liberal Government has committed to:

-Looking into alternatives to herbicide spraying on our public forests.

-Finally implementing the 20 recommendations made in November 2021 by a Legislative Committee, called the Committee on Climate Change and Environmental Stewardship. https://www.legnb.ca/content/committees/climate_change_and_environmental_stewardship/reports/60-1/20211102ClimateChangeFirstReport.pdf.

and has put these promises as tasks in the mandate letters sent to the following Ministers:

-Gilles Lepage (Dept of Env.)

-John Herron (Natural Resources – note that Energy now has a different minister)

-John Dornan (Health)

-Luke Randall (Economic Development)

-René Legacy (Finance)

-Pat Finnigan (Agriculture-although our issue and the mandate does not target agriculture).

LINK TO MANDATE LETTERS:

https://www2.gnb.ca/content/gnb/en/corporate/government_websites/mandate-letters.html?fbclid=IwY2xjawH2QehleHRuA2FlbQIxMAABHU7OKfB3N1TAbrZWnCIv0Djf25_zLfsiaRg_-hxwtJalB0kgkl_0r95Z8w_aem_q-wvbwz5s0g_giF8fXyW2w

Read more: Post NB Election Update

Here is the list of recommendations by the Committee on Climate Change and Environmental Stewardship:

Pesticides Advisory Board

  1. THAT the Minister of Environment and Climate Change re-activate the Pesticides Advisory
    Board and ensure it remains active.
  2. THAT the Minister task the Pesticides Advisory Board with investigating issues and gaps in
    information regarding the use of pesticides, which includes herbicides, in the Province as
    identified by the Standing Committee on Climate Change and Environmental Stewardship.
  3. THAT, within six months of the tabling of this report, the Minister review the composition of
    the Pesticides Advisory Board as prescribed in the Pesticides Control Act to determine whether
    any amendments are needed to ensure adequate independent expertise is represented.

Crown Lands and Forests Advisory Board

  1. THAT the Crown Lands and Forests Advisory Board be re-activated within six months of the tabling of this report.
  2. THAT the Minister of Natural Resources and Energy Development review the composition of the Board to ensure diversity of expertise.
  3. THAT the Board ensure stakeholders who use Crown Lands are doing so in a responsible
    manner to meet stated objectives established by the Minister and/or in legislation.

Crown Lands and Forests Advisory Board

  1. THAT the Crown Lands and Forests Advisory Board be re-activated within six months of the tabling of this report.
  2. THAT the Minister of Natural Resources and Energy Development review the composition of the Board to ensure diversity of expertise.
  3. THAT the Board ensure stakeholders who use Crown Lands are doing so in a responsible manner to meet stated objectives established by the Minister and/or in legislation.

Forest Management and Ecosystem Protection:

  1. THAT, for the purpose of evaluating the impact of eliminating herbicide spraying, the
    government initiate a comprehensive cost-benefit economic study comparing the usage and non-usage of herbicide in managing tree plantations in New Brunswick within 12 months of the tabling of this report.
  2. THAT remaining old hardwood, mixedwood, and softwood forest be maintained (not
    converted). This would require (1) ecologically based forestry, and (2) additional protected
    natural areas (reserves).
  3. THAT the government ensure protected natural areas have connected corridors, where needed, and minimize edge habitat for the purpose of biodiversity.

Increased Restrictions on Spraying

  1. THAT setbacks for aerial spraying be increased from 500 metres to 1 kilometre from
    dwellings.
  2. THAT the government require a spraying setback of 100 metres from protected natural areas.
  3. THAT the government require a minimum 100-metre aerial spraying setback from water and wetlands and/or require spray plans that may vary depending on the landscape and the
    hydrological characteristics of the land.
  4. THAT the government ban spraying of pesticides in protected watersheds as designated under the Clean Water Act.
  5. THAT the Minister of Natural Resources and Energy Development request of NB Power that it immediately begin phasing out spraying of pesticides under transmission lines.

Further Monitoring and Research

  1. THAT the Legislative Assembly appoint a Legislative Officer charged with the responsibility
    for Crown Lands and Waters with an appropriate budget beginning in the next fiscal year.
  2. THAT the Department of Natural Resources and Energy Development partner with
    educational institutions and non-governmental organizations, where applicable, to study the effects of spraying pesticides in forestry on wild game, other food and Indigenous medicines in New Brunswick.
  3. THAT the government request that Health Canada evaluate the registration of glyphosate every five years and with research conducted in and applicable to New Brunswick.
  4. THAT the Department of Environment and Local Government be mandated to routinely
    sample and test water and sediment for glyphosate and related components adjacent to areas where glyphosate has recently been applied, and to report annually.
  5. THAT for the purpose of evaluating the impact of eliminating glyphosate, the government
    undertake a comprehensive cost-benefit economic study comparing the usage and non-usage of glyphosate in the agricultural sector in New Brunswick within 18 months.

Public Education and Awareness

  1. THAT, within six months of the tabling of this report, the Department of Natural Resources
    and Energy Development create a public dashboard regarding all aspects of Crown forest
    utilization, including pesticide spraying, for the purpose of increasing public education and
    awareness.
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FUNDRAISER APPEAL for 2024 NB Provincial Election

FUNDRAISER APPEAL as SSNB prepares for the upcoming #NBElection24! We need to raise $6000 to cover sign and billboard expenses. (as of September 12’24 we have raised close to $1500!)

Donations can be made via:

– e-transfers to: stopsprayinginnewbrunswick@gmail.com

– via Paypal to Stop Spraying NB

– by cheque to Stop Spraying NB mailed to 104 Argyle Street, Fredericton, NB E3B 1T5.

ELECTIONS NB RULES: YOU NEED TO SEND ME YOUR FULL NAME AND ADDRESS when you donate (you can add this info while you submit the etransfer)

SSNB just registered as a third party with ElectionsNB. As a registered third party, we can place our signs in public areas just like election candidates do.

We need volunteers who can put our signs up in their riding. We are also looking for people who are willing to do the work to build a frame and put up an SSNB billboard in visible areas. In 2018 we had 6 billboards scattered around NB along secondary roads or at highway exits. Please email us at stopsprayinginnewbrunswick@gmail.com if you can help out OR have a property along a highway with a lot of traffic that can host a billboard.

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Stay Updated with Our Electronic Newsletter! 

Stay Updated with Our Newsletter! 

SIGN UP HERE: http://eepurl.com/gyyM1L
We’re thrilled to invite you to join our monthly newsletter, where you’ll get the latest updates, upcoming events, and important news about our mission to protect New Brunswick from harmful spraying on Crown and Public forests.

Why Sign Up?

???? Get the Latest News: Be the first to know about our campaigns, achievements, and crucial updates.
???? Exclusive Content: Receive insights and stories from the front lines of our efforts.
???? Get Involved: Discover ways you can make a difference and stay engaged with our cause.

Don’t miss out on staying connected!
Click the link below to sign up and join our dedicated community in making a positive impact.

Thank you for your support and commitment to a healthier, safer environment! ????✨

(of course you are free to unsubscribe anytime)

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SSNB Spray Map link and latest downloadable letter to send to your MLA:

  • 194 letters were signed at the Moncton Sportsmen Show March 22-24’24! PDF of SSNB’s latest letter template, which you can download, print, sign and send to your MLA:
CITIZEN-LETTER-TO-MLAs-3-Questions-about-Public-Forests-FINAL-PDF-March-20-2024-1

TEXT of this letter:

DATE: _______________________________





Legislative Building, Centre Block [706 Queen St], PO Box 6000, Fredericton, NB, E3B 5H1





Dear MLA ____________________________________, 

SUBJECT:  BAN ALL HERBICIDE SPRAYING OF OUR PUBLIC FORESTS IN NEW BRUNSWICK




“Food sources are gone after spraying. Wildlife dies off due to this. It is a massive loss of food, diversity, cover, and habitat. I’ve gone hunting and there is no life after they sprayed. Sprayed plantations are not forests.” (Luc Albert, New Brunswick resident)

I am writing to you because our public forests are in trouble.  Please do not ignore the problem of our degraded public forests.  The loss of wildlife, fish, and birds in our forests, and the loss of forestry jobs, are directly related to the loss of our mixed hardwood forests.  

I need to hear answers from you, my MLA, to the following questions.  I understand that at last year’s Moncton Sportsmen Show (March 24-26, 2023), a total of 158 letters addressing this issue were signed by constituents from across New Brunswick and delivered to their MLAs.  Several of the constituents who signed these letters have reported that they did not receive a response, which indicates that their concerns about herbicide spraying, and wildlife were simply ignored. New Brunswickers concerned about the loss of animals and their habitat in our forests have a right to have their letters answered by their elected MLAs.  

Should MLAs be re-elected if they don’t want to answer questions from their own constituents?

QUESTION 1:  WILL YOU PUBLICLY COMMIT TO A BAN ON ALL HERBICIDE SPRAYING ON OUR PUBLIC FORESTS and NB POWER CORRIDORS? 

The Province of Québec has been successfully managing their forests for the last two (2) decades without the use of herbicides.  Quebec uses manual silviculture, plants larger seedlings, and practices careful logging around advanced growth (CLAAG).  Compared with New Brunswick, Québec has a much higher job creation per 100,000 hectares of forests. Québec encourages many different forest companies and small wood producers, including the use of an auction system (as does Maine) and added-value hardwood industries.

QUESTION 2:  WILL YOU PUBLICLY COMMIT TO RESTORING THE DEER WINTERING YARDS IN OUR PUBLIC FORESTS? 

The number of deer wintering yards were cut in half (1/2) in 2012, and again in 2014.  Today, deer yards in New Brunswick are only one-quarter (1/4) of what they once were.  

QUESTION 3:  WILL YOU PUBLICLY COMMIT TO PROTECTING 30% OF OUR PUBLIC FORESTS BY 2030?

Our neighbours have already made this commitment. Québec will conserve 30% by 2030, and Nova Scotia will conserve 30% by 2030.  NB Dept. of Natural Resources recently claimed they are committed to conserving 30% of Crown Forest land but Stop Spraying NB has learned that this includes watercourse and wetland buffers, which will constitute 9% of the 30%.  These buffers are in fact mandatory by law and are simply the thin 30-metre-wide strips of vegetation left along rivers, streams, and wetlands when forests are clearcut, sprayed or when land near waterways is developed.  These 30-metre-wide strips have never been counted as “conservation forest”, and they should not be. The government of New Brunswick is misleading New Brunswickers.  In fact, the government has in fact reduced conservation forest from 23% down to 21%.          

Thank you for your attention to this important issue.  I look forward to your answer to my three (3) questions.





Sincerely yours, 

Signature: __________________________  Print name: _______________________________  

Address: _____________________________________________________________________    

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September 2023 Forest Herbicide Season in New Brunswick in full swing

In late July’23, GNB released herbicide (glyphosate) spray licenses issued for 2023 spray season. The red dots in the image below show all the approved spray blocks for 2023: light green background shows Crown (public) land, pink Freehold forest, and no colour is private forest land. The purple areas are protected watersheds.

We have crunched the data using the spray maps we have generated using GNB data (GNB has not published yet which Crown forest land blocks were actually sprayed in 2022), and you can see that GNB issued a lot more spray licenses for 2023: 14% more on Crown forest land, 345 more on Freehold land (large forest corps own this), and 205 less on private forest land (woodlot owners). In total 39% more licenses issued.

Please note that the 2023 forest herbicide spray license map reflects Crown (public), Freehold and private spray licenses for 2023. LINK: https://www.arcgis.com/apps/View/index.html?appid=b3b16d5f435c43168bd759a361401464&fbclid=IwAR3OOus45rpZTavUD0J978jPQ0UtfhRr2LK3RVMi8-yO9-GrNpxKSz7kJwk

The historic forest spray map for New Brunswick only shows Crown (public) spray blocks because GNB does not release data after spray season on Freehold or private land.

LINK: https://www.arcgis.com/apps/View/index.html?appid=3e6db7d3e2e94169afd915cadf9028f5&fbclid=IwAR2uQXGIhtSsFXeZlO0Vuu2_QwvaS_f-3rkiqzsqD-pgKSKCwuXeenifE2s

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Stop Spraying NB made news this week!

OUR MEDIA RELEASE


JUNE 16, 2023
Stop Spraying NB responds to Federal Minister of Health’s response to Glyphosate petition initiated by documentary maker Jennifer Baichwal and tabled by MP Jenica Atwin on May 2, 2023.


FREDERICTON, N.B. – Stop Spraying NB (SSNB) just learned that the Federal Health Minister has responded to a petition to ban glyphosate initiated by documentary maker Jennifer Baichwal  and tabled by MP Jenica Atwin on May 2, 2023. This response was tabled at the House of Commons on June 15, 2023.
SSNB’s mandate is focused on the use of herbicides on Crown (public) land and by NB Power. Therefore our response to the Health Minister’s response is focused on statements made about glyphosate use in forestry. 
The Minister of Health claims this: “ With regards to glyphosate use in forestry, Health Canada has concluded that this use is acceptable, when label directions are followed. These findings were based on an extensive review of the available scientific information on glyphosate. A forest cultivation site would receive one or at most two treatments early on in a 50-to-80-year cultivation cycle.”
This statement by the Federal Minister of Health does not reflect the actual pattern of use in New Brunswick’s Crown (public) forests. GNB releases data of sprayed crown land PIDs in a data dump that is accessible to, but not usable by the public. However, SSNB has been able to create an easily usable Historical Spray Map using this government data: https://www.arcgis.com/apps/View/index.html?appid=3e6db7d3e2e94169afd915cadf9028f5 .

Our Historical Spray Map of NB has given us the opportunity to find every spray block and to review how many times it has been sprayed with herbicides (glyphosate) up to now. Our spray map shows all the spray blocks on Crown (public) land since 1969, released by GNB. Crunching all the information is a very large task. So far we have extracted this information about some of the MANY spray blocks:- 1554 blocks have been sprayed twice.- 107 blocks have been sprayed three times.- 8 blocks have been sprayed four times.
One of these blocks was sprayed in 1997, 1999, 2000, 2003. This is 4 spray treatments in a span of 6 years. 
This is a sample of the information held in the Historical Spray Map, but we at SSNB feel that what we have found so far is enough to raise some serious concerns about herbicide use in our Crown (public) forests. 
Dr. Caroline Lubbe-D’Arcy, Chair of Stop Spraying New Brunswick has this to say about the response by the Minister of Health: “The Federal Minister of Health is making assumptions when he quotes what the PMRA has stated around forestry use of glyphosate. Apparently the PMRA is unaware of what is taking place in New Brunswick with regards to the forestry use of an agent (glyphosate) that the PMRA approves with assumptions that are not factual.”
“In New Brunswick we have extremely biodiverse and unique Wabanaki-Acadian forests which comprises 32 native tree species, with a large percentage of hardwood trees” says Dr. Lubbe-D’Arcy. “The amount of clearcutting of these forests on Crown (public) land and the conversion after clearcutting to sprayed softwood plantations with very few species is an issue with regards to increasing concerns around biodiversity. Wabanaki-Acadian forests on Crown (public) land are mismanaged with the permission of our provincial government. This mismanagement escalated in 2014. There are three troubling facts: NB experiences the most intense forest herbicide spraying in Canada, and many blocks are sprayed more frequently than the PMRA assumes. 1/3 of all forest glyphosate use in Canada lands on New Brunswick’s forests (1).”

Québec stopped forest herbicide spraying in 2001 because their MLAs listened to their citizens. While developing their forest strategy, Québec conducted 3 rounds of extensive public consultation between 1988 and 1997.  For the last 2 decades, Quebec has successfully managed their public forests without herbicides, but instead managed them with manual silviculture. Their forest strategy is ecosystem-based, has an auction  system (so does Maine), plants larger seedlings, and includes careful logging around  advanced growth (CLAAG, or CPRS in French). 

Both the economy and the environment benefit from this approach. Compared with New Brunswick, Quebec has a much higher job creation per 100,000 hectares of forests. The combination of manual silviculture and selective cutting will decrease and minimize the net amount of carbon dioxide loss when growing and harvesting.  And healthy mixed forests also provide an important natural wildfire defence around our rural communities and city suburbs.  Hardwood, broadleaf trees such as aspen and birch have a higher moisture content than softwood conifers so they burn at a lower intensity, providing greater protection of homes and businesses from catastrophic wildfires.  

Notes:

(1) page 6 “Pattern of Use in NB” of the Action Plan on Glyphosate by the Office of the Chief Medical Officer on glyphosate https://www2.gnb.ca/content/dam/gnb/Departments/h-s/pdf/en/Publications/GlyphosateActionPlanResults.pdf

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New Letter-writing Campaign to NB MLAs! (157 collected in one weekend already)

PLEASE consider sending a letter to your MLA.

Stop Spraying New Brunswick delivered a total of 158 letters to New Brunswick MLAs this week. Each letter is signed by a constituent and addressed to the appropriate MLA.

The constituents included their full address in the letter and their MLA should feel obligated to reply to their two questions:

“Thank you for your attention to this important issue. I look forward to your answer to my two (2) questions.

QUESTION 1: WILL YOU PUBLICLY SPEAK UP FOR A BAN ON ALL HERBICIDE SPRAYING ON OUR PUBLIC FORESTS and NB POWER CORRIDORS?

QUESTION 2: WILL YOU WORK HARD TO CONVINCE YOUR PARTY THAT THIS NEEDS TO BE A PRIORITY?”

PDFs of this letter in English or French:

CITIZEN-LETTER-TO-MLAs-2-Questions-about-Public-Forests-FINAL-DRAFT-PDF-March-21-2023-1

French-Translation-of-MLA-letter-FINAL

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The Latest News from New Brunswick

Stop Spraying NB had a very well attended information booth at the largest hunting and fishing trade show in NB (Moncton Sportsmen Show) from March 24-26’23.

Visitors to our booth told us that Moncton’s Turtle Creek watershed had been sprayed in 2022, even though we were told in 2018 that this was going to stop. This was also to the surprise of Moncton’s Mayor Dawn Arnold, who found out when media followed up on our press release.

We have evidence that spray licenses were issued to spray Turtle Creek in 2022 (map that has been generated using GNB pen data): https://www.arcgis.com/apps/View/index.html?appid=b3b16d5f435c43168bd759a361401464

The Telegraph Journal interviewed us and reported on this (paywall): https://tj.news/telegraph-journal/102086474

CHMA (in Tantramar) also reported on this news: https://www.chmafm.com/welcome/environmental-group-maps-herbicide-use-in-n-b-forests-tells-province-to-stop-spraying-protected-watersheds/

SSNB has generated two maps that use open government spray data:

Historical Map: https://www.arcgis.com/apps/View/index.html?appid=3e6db7d3e2e94169afd915cadf9028f5

Map that shows 2022 spray licenses: https://www.arcgis.com/apps/View/index.html?appid=3e6db7d3e2e94169afd915cadf9028f5

Here are the two licenses:

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Not good news: In 2022, NB Power started using Garlon-XRT to control vegetation on power right-of-ways.

NB Power switched from using Glyphosate to Garlon-XRT in 2022 to control vegetation. This product is by no means safer than glyphosate-based products.

Another reminder that tunnel vision on glyphosate will not win our fight for better forestry without herbicides PERIOD.

Last fall, GNB bragged in a commitee meeting that glyphosate was no longer being used by NB Power (as recommended by the Standing Committee in their recommendations to the Legislature) but did not inform our MLAs that this new herbicide was being used now.

LINK to the recommendations to the Legialative assembly by the legislative Standing Commitee on Climate change and Environmental Stewardship on Glyphoste-based products use in forestry in New Brunswick: https://www.legnb.ca/content/committees/climate_change_and_environmental_stewardship/reports/60-1/20211102ClimateChangeFirstReport.pdf

Read more: Not good news: In 2022, NB Power started using Garlon-XRT to control vegetation on power right-of-ways.