Send Notice of Non-Consent to Forest Herbicide Spraying

Everything has changed and the Science isn’t “Settled”. Why is Ontario still planning herbicide spraying in public forests this summer?

Send your notice of non-consent with this letter to the Minister of Natural Resources, raising urgent questions about glyphosate spraying in Ontario’s public forests.

Your First and Last Name *

Your Address *

Your City *

Your Province *

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The letter is fully editable and will be sent to Minister Mike Harris and cc'd to the Premier, Ontario oversight bodies, and professional forestry regulators.

Letter

Minister Harris,

The December 2025 retraction of the Williams, Kroes & Munro (2000) glyphosate safety review removed a scientific reference that has been relied upon in herbicide discussions for decades. Given Ontario’s continued use of herbicides in public forests, I am requesting clarification on the forestry-specific scientific and policy basis for these decisions.

Please answer the following questions and include links to the relevant documents and decision records.

1. After the December 2025 retraction, what forestry-specific evidence and decision rationale is Ontario relying on to justify continued forest-scale glyphosate use, and what changed, if anything, in Ontario’s rationale as a result of that retraction? Will the Ministry initiate a review of the scientific basis for herbicide use in Ontario forestry and release the risk assessments, decision memos, and scientific reviews relied upon when approving herbicide use in Forest Management Plans?

2. Federal registration is not a forestry-specific decision. Ontario’s 2009 restrictions on cosmetic pesticide use to protect children from “unnecessary risks,” the ongoing cancer “failure to warn” litigation and settlements since 2018, including the proposed $7.25 billion Roundup settlement announced in February 2026, and the 2025 Ramazzini Institute Global Glyphosate Study findings have all added concern about carcinogenicity. How is Ontario assessing and communicating public risk, maintaining public confidence, and applying a precautionary approach while continuing forest-scale glyphosate use in public forests used for drinking water, hunting, fishing, and foraging?

3. In 1999, a federal Senate committee urged that herbicide and chemical pesticide use in the boreal forest be phased out as soon as possible. Quebec ended forest herbicide spraying in 2001 while continuing forestry operations using non-chemical approaches. Why has Ontario not transitioned away from forest herbicide spraying after a quarter-century of warning and a Canadian precedent?

4. There have now been 37 years of formal Indigenous opposition and 60 Ontario municipalities have passed resolutions calling for an end to this practice. Under the Professional Foresters Act, OPFA’s Code of Ethics, and OPFA’s standards of practice, Registered Professional Foresters are expected to act in the public interest, maintain competence, and remain current in the knowledge and standards relevant to their work. As of May 1, 2025, OPFA’s Indigenous Peoples, Lands & Resources Standard also made Indigenous jurisdiction and related competencies an explicit part of professional practice. Given the December 2025 retraction, the 2025 Ramazzini findings, and the proposed February 2026 Roundup settlement, how is the Ministry ensuring that current scientific evidence, public-interest duties, precaution, and applicable Indigenous obligations are explicitly assessed before approvals are granted, so that professional sign-off is not placed in conflict with mandatory standards?

For the full record, including source links and supporting documentation, visit:
stopthespraycanada.ca/toxic-legacy

Please record this message as my official non-consent to chemical herbicide spraying in Ontario’s public forests and connected watersheds. Given the public importance of this issue and the volume of concern, please provide a written response for the public record to stopthesprayontario@gmail.com addressing the questions raised in this letter.

Sincerely,

If you prefer to copy/paste this letter into your own email program, please keep supporters@stopthespraycanada.ca in CC so we can count your Non-Consent. TO: mike.harris@pc.ola.org CC: premier@ontario.ca,minister.moe@ontario.ca,CMOH@ontario.ca,info@ombudsman.on.ca,auditor.general@auditor.on.ca,registrar@opfa.ca,opfa@opfa.ca,supporters@stopthespraycanada.ca

Check which Forests in Ontario are open for Comments

Who can send this email to the Minister of Natural Resources?
Anyone concerned about Ontario’s public forests can send this Notice of Non-Consent. Boreal forests store carbon, support wildlife, protect shared watersheds, and affect communities far beyond provincial borders. If you live outside Ontario, you are welcome to send this email using your real name and location. You are also encouraged to edit the email by adding a brief personal note about why this matters to you.