How herbicide spraying in N.B. became an election issue

CarolineLubbe-D'Arcy stares down at a large yellow signlyingflat in the grass as highway traffic roars by.

The blackbold words exclaim "Stop Spraying New Brunswick" in all capital letters, but the flurry of drivers rushing by can't see them.

Lubbe-D'Arcywishes the 2.5-metre-squarebillboard was standing upright where she left it last week,amongthe signs ofprovincialelectioncandidates.

She's just happy it's back.

Last week highway maintenance workers tore the billboard down and hauled it away, mistaking it for an illegal sign.

ButLubbe-D'Arcyand the Stop Spraying New Brunswickgroup went through all the proper channels to register SSNBas a third party in thisfall'selection. By doing so, they are allowed to put up billboards an important step to publicizing their concerns about herbicide spraying.

The highway company Gatewayapparentlydidn't get the memo, but they did return the sign on Friday.

Theydidn't put it back into place, instead opting to leave it on the side of the road under other election signs in the Rothesayriding, where it is visible only to the smiling head of Stephanie Tomilson and the confident grin of incumbent TedFlemming.

Lubbe-D'Arcycan't lift theheavy sign by herself. Instead, it was returned by three men in a full-size Gateway truck on a large trailer.

But she says volunteers would be along soon to help reinstate it.

"I feel that people feel really empowered by this campaign and that's why it's been really easy to find people to help with these billboards," Lubbe-D'Arcy said over the traffic.

Chemicalcontroversy

The province allows forestry companies and NB Power to use the spray to prevent plant growth.

Forestry companies often use herbicides to prevent the growth of certain species of tree to encourage the growth of select softwoods.

NB Poweruses glyphosate products to inhibit plant growth under transmission lines, but other jurisdictionshave cracked down on its use.

Last year, the state of California placed glyphosate on a list of cancer-causing chemicals.Quebec has also banned its use.

Years of planning

Lubbe-D'Arcyhas worked to make the spraying of glyphosate and other herbicides in New Brunswick a campaign issue since 2015.

The Stop Spraying New Brunswickcampaign is funded by the sale of lawn signs that can now be found in every corner of the province. The yellow and red plastic boards usually sport the silhouette of a whitetail deer and cost customers between $11 and $15.

And it appears to be working.

Lubbe-D'Arcy, armed with more than 35,000 signatures protesting the use ofherbicides, now has the support of three political parties in thisfall'selection.

The Green Party of New Brunswick has made an election promise to "immediatelyend the spraying of herbicides [glyphosate]on forest lands and under power lines, given the risks the chemical poses to natural ecosystems and wildlife."

As one of their campaignstatements, the NDP says the party "would end glyphosate spraying, protect older growth forests and implement the best forestry practices to protect and carefully develop our forestry resources."

And People's Alliance Leader Kris Austin says the people he's spoken to are fearful of the practice.

"We see it on the ground," saidAustin. "We hear it a lot in rural areas. They have big concerns about the spraying in particular, and I feel it's time to ban it."

No red orblue support

But the province's two largest parties, the Liberals and the PCs, have both been OK with the spraying of herbicide in the past. Neither party is promising to stopits future use.

For those opposed to the spraying, it's just another indication that the big guys don't care.

"I just want government to listen to the people," Lubbe-D'Arcy said."Stopalways just listening tocorporationsand what they want. Think about the people."

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