Don’t let lack of pesticide complaints fool you

Aug 26, 2016 | 4:26 PM

KAMLOOPS — It may have surprised some to hear this week that no one, not a single person, has been issued a ticket for using pesticides in contravention of the new City of Kamloops bylaw prohibiting their use on lawns or ornamental trees and shrubs. 

The bylaw has been in effect since January First, and yet not a single complaint has been made to the city’s bylaw department. 

Is it because neighbours don’t want to rat on neighbours? 

Is it because those who use pesticides are being much more clandestine? 

It certainly isn’t because the bylaw has put a stop to cosmetic pesticide use. 

As several lawn care professionals told us, anyone with a trained eye can pick out pesticide-using properties from a mile away, and there are still plenty. 

What it does tell us is that Kamloops residents value basic tenets of human decency and common sense above the rules imposed on them by city council.

It’s the same with other controversial bylaws that limit human activity, such as a ban on smoking in parks. 

You can still see plenty of people smoking in parks, but it’s not unusual to see them a good distance from others when they do it. 

They’re breaking the law, but they’re trying their best not to affect anyone else with their behaviour. 

Oftentimes, council’s bylaws are both progressive and sensible, and the masses will fall in line. 

Other times, the rules are either progressive OR sensible, or neither. 

Those times, we hope Kamloops residents revert to basic practices of positive behaviour that keeps them in their neighbours’ good graces.

When it comes to the pesticide bylaw, it would be foolhardy to think Kamloops residents are all obeying the bylaw.

To keep their lawns green, maybe they’re at least obeying the golden rule.