Take Action: Help Peter Rid Canada of PBDEs

Take action: Help Peter Rid Canada of PBDEs

Support continues to grow for MP Peter Julian's Private Members's Motion calling on the federal government to ban the toxic substances found in fire retardants known as polybrominated diphenyl ethers or PBDEs.

So far, over 140 municipal and local governments are fully supporting the motion, along with the Canadian division of the International Association of Fire Fighters (IAFF) and the David Suzuki Foundation.

As reported in the Fall 2006 issue of your Community Newsletter, the Conservative government announced an expansion of Canada's list of toxic substances to include PBDEs July 2006, but as Julian stated, "Putting it on a list, flagging it, and then getting kudos for having acknolwedged that it's a problem doesn't mean they're going to do anything about it, and that isn't good enough."

The list of supporters of Peter Julian's motion is growing and now includes the following Municipalities, Cities & Districts in Support of Motion M-26 (formally M-38):

• The Hamlet of Aklavik, NWT
• Ville d’Amqui, QC
• Municipality of Arran-Elderslie, ON
• Village of Alert Bay, BC
• Rural Municipality of Alexander, MB
• City of Armstrong, BC
• Rural Municipality of Armstrong, MB
• Town of Bancroft, ON
• City of Bathurst, NB
• City of Belleville, ON
• Beaver County, AB
• Municipal District of Big Lakes, AB
• Town of Bancroft, ON
• Bowen Island Municipality, BC
• Rural Municipality of Brenda, MB
• The Corporation of the Municipality of Brockton, ON
• Regional District of Bulkley Nechako, BC
• City of Burnaby, BC
• Rural Municipality of Brokenhead, MB
• City of Campbell River, BC
• Village of Canning, NS
• Ville de Carignan, QC
• Municipality of Central Elgin, ON
• Regional District of Central Okanagan, BC
• Municipality of the District of Chester, NS
• Town of Chestermere, AB
• District of Chetwynd, BC
• City of Courtenay, BC
• Town of Collingwood, ON
• Town of Comox, BC
• City of Coquitlam, BC
• Town of Coronation, AB
• Township of Cramahe, ON
• Village of Cumberland, BC
• Rural Municipality of Dauphin, MB
• Corporation of Delta, BC
•Ville de Dolbeau-Mistassini, QC
• City of Duncan, BC
• County of Elgin, ON
• City of Elkford, BC
• Township of Esquimalt, BC
• Corporation of the Township of Essa, ON
• Ville de Farnham, QC
• City of Fernie, BC
• Village of Fraser Lake, BC
• Fraser Valley Regional District, BC
• Township of Frontenac Islands, ON
• Township of Galway-Cavendish & Harvey, ON
• Township of Georgian Bluffs, ON
• Ville de Grand-Sault / Town of Grand Falls, NB
• Town of Grimshaw, AB
• Municipality of the District of Guysborough, NS
• The Village of Haines Junction, YK
• County of Haliburton, ON
• Municipality of Highlands East, ON
• Town of High Level, AB
• Municipality of Huron East, ON
• Corporation of the Town of Kapuskasing, ON
• District of Kent, BC
• Corporation of the Town of Kearney, ON
• Iqaluit, Nunavut Territory
• Town of Ladysmith, BC
• Town of Lake Cowichan, BC
• County of Lamton, ON
• Town of LaSalle, ON
• Rural Municipality of Lansdowne, MB
• The Corporation of the Town of Laurentian Hills, ON
• The Township of Leeds and the Thousand Islands, ON
• County of Lennox & Addington, ON
• District of Logan Lake, BC
• Village of Mannville, AB
• Ville de Marieville, QC
• Medicine Hat, AB
• The Corporation of the Town of Midland, ON
• Town of Minnedosa, MB
• Ville de Mont-Laurier, QC
• Town of Moosonee, ON
• The Corporation of the Township of Nairn & Hyman, ON
• Village of Nakusp, BC
• City of Nanaimo, BC
• City of Nelson, BC
• Village of New Denver, BC
• Town of New Glasgow, NS
• City of New Westminster, BC
• Municipality of North Cowichan, BC
• Township of North Dundas, ON
• Municipal District of Northern Lights, AB
• Northern Rockies Regional District, BC
• Village de / of Notre-Dame-de-Lourdes, MB
• Regional District Okanagan-Similkameen, BC
• Town of Oliver, BC
• Town of Orangeville, ON
• Town of Osoyoos, BC
• Peace River Regional District, BC
• Town of/Ville de Penctanguishene, ON
• Town of Penhold, AB
• Ville de Percé, QC
• Town of Perth, ON
• Ville de Pont-Rouge, QC
• Village of Port Alice, BC
• Town of Port McNeill, BC
• Village of Pouce Coupe, BC
• District of Powell River, BC
• Comtés unis de Prescott et Russell, ON
• City of Quinte West, ON
• The Corporation of the Township of Ramara, ON
• The Corporation of the Municipality of Red Lake, ON
• City of Revelstoke, BC
• City of Richmond, BC
• Municipality of the County of Richmond, NS
• Town of Rocky Harbour, NL
• Rural Municipality of Rockwood, MB
• City of St. Albert, AB
• Town of St. Marys, ON
• Town of St. Rose du Lac, MB
• Ville de Saint-Sauveur, QC
• Town of Sedgewick, AB
• City of Selkirk, MB
• Ville de Shawinigan, QC
• District of Sooke, BC
• Ville de Sorel-Tracy, QC
• Township of South Frontenac,ON
• Rural Municipality of South Cypress, MB
• Strathcona County, Sherwood Park, AB
• City of Stratford, ON
• Town of Sylvan Lake, AB
• Village of Tahsis, BC
• The Corporation of the Municipality of Temagami, ON
• Municipality of the Township of Tiny, ON
• Town of Trenton, NS
• Town of Two Hills, AB
• District of Ucluelet, BC
• County of Vermilion River, AB
• Municipality of the District of West Hants, NS
• Municipality of Whistler, BC
• City of Whitehorse, YK
• Town of Winnipeg Beach, MB
• Town of Yarmouth, NS
• Village of Zeballos, BC

If you support restrictions on PBDE production and importation, you can help Peter successfully pass this motion and tell the House of Commons to phase out the production and import of products containing PBDEs.

HOW CAN YOU HELP?

SIGN THE PETITION - AND GET OTHERS TO SIGN IT TOO
You can get a copy of the petition form by printing out the petition form (requires legal size paper). Then, get the support of your friends, neighbours, people you work with and get them to sign the petition. When you have as many signatures as you can get, mail the petition (postage free) to Peter Julian's Parliamentary Office in Ottawa:

Peter Julian MP for Burnaby-New Westminster
Room 178, Confederation Building
House of Commons
Ottawa, Ontario K1A 0A6

WRITE A LETTER OF SUPPORT
You and/or your organization are invited to write a letter of support about this issue and send it to Peter Julian's office. The stronger our coalition, the stronger our voice will be in working to protect the health of Canadians.

Peter hopes that with your support and hard work we will succeed in protecting the health of all Canadians. We've already had success with Jack Layton's successful motion to ban processed trans fats from food sold in Canada.

Together with your commitment, we can help create an environment with less cancer-causing chemicals for our future and the future of the next generation.

HOW HARMFUL ARE PBDEs?

The most common and potentially toxic fire retardants are additive compounds called polybrominated diphenyl ethers (PBDEs), which have a similar chemical structure to PCBs.

Like PCBs, PBDEs are persistent in the environment and have been accumulating in the bodies of humans, orcas, whales, salmon and other animals.

Health consequences attributed to the use of flame retardants with PBDEs include memory impairment, suppression of the immune system, disruption of thyroid function, and defects in the developing fetus. That’s the reason the European Union and many states in the U.S. have banned the manufacture and import of goods containing the most toxic forms of PBDEs.

Canadians, for their part, are exposed more frequently to these chemicals than Europeans. Those most vulnerable to harm from exposure include infants, children, breastfeeding mothers as well as workers in the information technology, textile and furniture manufacturing fields.

Initially, in response to this situation, Peter Julian tabled a motion in the 38th Parliament, seeking to ban the production and importation of products containing the additive PBDEs. He is continuing the fight in Parliament.

On July 4, 2006, the Conservative government announced that they would finallly expand Canada’s list of toxic substances to include PBDEs.

“Putting it on a list, flagging it, and then getting kudos for having acknowledged that it’s a problem doesn’t mean they’re going to do anything about it, and that isn’t good enough,” says Julian.

The following is the text of the motion M-26 (formerly M-38 in last Parliament):

M-26 — Mr. Julian (Burnaby—New Westminster) — That, in the opinion of the House, the government should recognize that fire retardants containing polybrominated diphenyl ethers (PBDEs) are proven to be the most dangerous form of flame retardant harmful to people, animals and the environment, and that legislation completely phasing out the production and import of products containing additive PBDEs should be brought forth within a year.

M-26 — M. Julian (Burnaby—New Westminster) — Que, de l’avis de la Chambre, le gouvernement devrait reconnaître que les ignifuges contenant des éthers diphényliques polybromés (EDP) se sont révélés la forme la plus dangereuse d’ignifuges nocifs pour les humains, les animaux et l’environnement, et qu’un projet de loi prévoyant l’abandon graduel et complet de la fabrication et de l’importation de produits contenant des EDP devrait être présenté d’ici un an.

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