New Westminster is the latest municipality to back a ban on anticoagulant rodenticides because of their negative impacts on wildlife.
Council approved a motion by Coun. Nadine Nakagawa to support a complete ban on anticoagulant rodenticides on all City of New Westminster properties and to write the province asking for a provincial ban on these products. Council also directed staff to communicate with local residents and businesses about the harmful impacts of anticoagulant rodenticides and to share information about alternatives.
“While the city doesn’t have the ability to ban these types of rodenticides, we do have the ability to not use them ourselves and to provide information to residents about them,” she said.
Nakagawa said the motion is a jumping off point for some of the work that’s taking place in the city’s biodiversity strategy. She said it’s a way the city can move forward to protect wildlife in the city.
“We don’t want to harm some birds of prey like owls,” she said. “We want to ensure we are protecting biodiversity in our community.”
Other communities, including the District of North Vancouver and the City of North Vancouver have previously banned anticoagulant rodenticides. These poisons cause rats to die from internal bleeding – and can also injure and owls and other wildlife that may consume the sick rats.
According to the motion approved by New Westminster city council, anticoagulant rodenticides cause animals to suffer and die from primary and secondary poisoning, and also pose risks to human and planetary health.
