Pesticides, including insecticides, herbicides and other chemicals, are intended to kill or suppress “pests.” As a result, they often contain toxic chemicals that are strong enough to kill animals or plants. In many cases, these chemicals also have known or suspected impacts on human health.

West Coast Environmental Law has a long history of working on pesticide-related issues, from pressing the government to enact laws controlling pesticides, to working with members of the public concerned about pesticides to limit their use.

As part of this work, we’ve created a series of publications and other resources to educate people about the laws and regulations guiding pesticide use in BC. We’ve also organized events such as our Farm Workers Rights Forum, which brought together Punjabi-speaking farm workers, environmental and labour groups, and government to examine how to protect the rights of farm workers in relation to pesticides.