Reducing Exposure to Pesticides

The City of Edmonton uses a variety of Integrated Pest Management (IPM) programs to manage a range of pests such as weeds, tree pests and other plant diseases, stinging/biting insects, rodents, and water-borne diseases.

Though improving soil quality and manual weed control are the first choice in managing weeds, herbicides are used as a last resort when these other methods are not reliable or feasible to meet legal requirements and parkland standards

Mosquito control focuses on monitoring and treating mosquitoes in the larval stage in standing water bodies. When environmental conditions are suitable, a non toxic, biological control method is used. More information on the City’s mosquito program can be found on Edmonton's Mosquito control program web page and in the current public notice under related documents.

Evaluations of new systems, techniques, products, and biological controls help to steer the continual improvement of IPM programs and reduce conventional pesticide use. When situations require the use of pesticides, they are applied by certified pesticide applicators, following federal and provincial legislation. Beyond this, City of Edmonton’s pesticide applicators follow best practices outlined in the City’s IPM policy. Only products approved by Health Canada are used.

As a result of the City’s IPM approach, the majority of Edmonton’s parkland is free of pesticide exposure. The City of Edmonton has implemented further programs to protect people from pesticide exposure. A full list of these programs can be found in the current document about Weed and Other Pest Management Programs in the related document section.    

Programs where citizens can get information on current pesticide applications or to apply for restricted pesticide use are:

• Spray-line – Citizen can call 780-423-1378 directly or call 311 and ask for the Spray-line to get daily updated, detailed information on any current spraying activities on City lands (April – October).

• Medical Alert Pesticide Program (MAPP) – Citizens with medical considerations are eligible for a thirty meter pesticide-buffer zone and/or pre-notification of pesticide applications within one hundred meters.

• Herbicide Exemption Request Program (HERP) – No-spray buffers are available for citizens that live adjacent to land owned by the City of Edmonton.

• Petition site to be herbicide-free – Residents living adjacent to parkland can petition their park site to become herbicide-free if 66% of affected residents agree to the petition.

To apply for one of the pesticide restriction programs go to the page on the City’s Commitment to the Environment. Tips to reduce pesticide use in the backyard can be found on the City’s Good Growing Neighbours web page.

For more information: