Plans to ban pesticides in Coquitlam were shelved this week after city council found too many holes in its draft bylaw.
At Monday's engineering committee meeting, councillors sent the document back to staff and re-appointed the city's environment advisory group, which had recommended the wording (it was disbanded for the year in September).
Likening the draft bylaw to "Swiss cheese," Coun. Selina Robinson noted a number of concerns with the proposed policy, including:
the timing to notify pesticide retailers about posting warning signs in their shops that chemicals can't be used in the city;
the validity of a permit system for homeowners and businesses to spray pesticides in emergency situations;
the lack of consistency with neighbouring municipalities on pesticide use;
and the lack of progressive fines for repeat violators.
"The [draft] bylaw isn't Swiss cheese, it's a Swiss cheese issue," said Mayor Richard Stewart, commenting on the multi-government levels of involvement.
