On Monday, Premier Dalton McGuinty's Liberal party announced it would keep an election promise to introduce legislation making Ontario's pesticide rules among the toughest in North America. A province-wide ban-- which isn't expected to come into effect until the spring of 2009-- would supercede all existing municipal bylaws, making the rules the same throughout Ontario.

The pesticide ban would not affect the farming or forestry industries and golf courses would still be able to apply pesticides with some limitations to minimize environmental impact.

Pesticides will also still be used for health and safety, such as controlling mosquitoes, which can carry diseases like West Nile virus.

"Many municipalities have already shown leadership in banning or restricting cosmetic-use pesticides. We're extending that protection to all families wherever they live," said Ontario's Environment Minister John Gerretsen.

Quebec is currently the only Canadian province with a pesticide ban in place.

To ban pesticides has been an annual controversy in Halton Hills.

According to the provincial government, studies by public health experts are showing growing evidence of the potential health risk of pesticides, particularly for children. Both the Ontario College of Family Physicians and the Canadian Cancer Society have been calling for a ban on the cosmetic use of pesticides as a prudent measure to protect family health.

According to the province, more than 44 per cent of Ontarians already live in a municipality where the cosmetic use of pesticides is banned.

Halton Hills councillors have edged closer to joining that club in recent years, adopting a "pesticide use as a last resort" policy on Town-owned lands. However, council have avoided forcing the hand of private property owners.

Now it looks as though that contentious decision has been taken out of their hands altogether.