The focus of the Children's Environmental Health project has been on the cosmetic or non-essential use of pesticides.  This issue is one of the most contentious and divisive ones facing communities across Canada today.  The recent Supreme Court of Canada decision affirming the right of municipalities to restrict the use of pesticides on both public and private property has further fueled interest in restrictive municipal by-laws. [Full text of Supreme Court decision: http://www.lexum.umontreal.ca/csc-scc/en/rec/html/hudson.en.html December 6, 2001 Media Release: "Anti-Pesticide By-Law"]  The City of Toronto is presently strategizing the phase-out of lawn pesticide use, while the Province of Quebec is defiantly moving forward with its own province-wide restrictive legislation.  Unfortunately, Bill C-53, a bill to update the 33 year-old Federal Pest Control Products Act, died with parliamentary prorogues. http://www.parl.gc.ca/37/1/parlbus/chambus/house/bills/government/c-53/c-53_1/C-53TOCE.html

Project highlights, this year, were an article in a peer-reviewed journal, committee work, the development of a book proposal by Bruce Lofquist and presentations on the theme of children's health and urban pesticides at such venues as the global forum on children's environmental health at Washington DC (September 2001), The Women's Intercultural Network celebration of Person's Day in Toronto (October 2001), the Hamilton public hearings in (January 2002), and at the ninth annual conference of the Environmental Studies Association in Toronto (June 2002). 

"Home Hazards -- Residential Pesticides Pose Threats to Children's Health" an article prepared by Bruce was one of a collection of pieces in Alternatives Journal Special Children's Health Edition - Winter 2001. http://www.alternativesjournal.ca/alts.htm

Bruce Lofquist participated in both the City of Toronto "Stakeholder Forums" on strategizing the phase-out of non-essential uses of pesticides (January and June 2002) and contributed to a Toronto-based ad hoc working group on urban pesticide policy.

Lastly, The Citizen's Guide to Lawn Pesticides book proposal has been developed and it is anticipated that it will be co-published by IICPH and the Canadian Institute for Environmental Law and Policy, Toronto.    

Bruce H. Lofquist is a member of the Official Board of IICPH and chair of the Children's Environmental Health Project.