Summary
In Canada, pesticides are regulated by the federal, provincial, and municipal governments. The federal government decides which pesticides are safe to use in Canada and sets minimum requirements for how to use them. The Alberta Department of Environment and Parks regulates the sale, use, storage, transportation, and disposal of pesticides in Alberta under the Environmental Protection and Enhancement Act.
Pesticides are intended and designed to be toxic to pests; however, if used improperly, they can pose serious risks to human health and the environment. Pesticide regulation aims to ensure pesticide sale and use is conducted in a safe and effective manner. The objective of our audit was to determine if the department had adequate processes to minimize the risk of inappropriate pesticide use in Alberta.
Objective and Scope
The objective of our audit was to determine if the department had adequate processes to minimize the risk of inappropriate pesticide use in Alberta.
Conclusion
We concluded the department did not have adequate processes to minimize this risk. We found that key processes had deficiencies that require future improvement.
We recommended that the Department of Environment and Parks:
- assess risks from non-compliance with pesticide laws and employ compliance monitoring to mitigate identified risks
- ensure public information on pesticide products and conditions for their use is current and accurate
- develop performance metrics and regularly evaluate the pesticide program