Pesticide Registration in Canada and Ontario

By Allison Moorman, OMAFRA-University of Guelph USEL Student

A pesticide, or pest control product, is a substance (insecticide, fungicide, or herbicide) used to prevent, destroy or repel pest organisms. All products applied to a plant for the purpose of controlling a pest in Canada, whether conventional or organic, must be registered federally by the Pest Management Regulatory Agency (PMRA). The PMRA is an agency of Health Canada, which registers each pesticide under the federal Pest Control Products Act and re-evaluates previously registered pesticides to determine acceptability for future use. When registering a pesticide for use in Canada, the PMRA evaluates many factors including the potential risk to human and animal health, the impact on the environment and the usefulness of the pesticide to the agricultural industry. These regulations are designed to ensure pest control products are used with minimal risks to worker health, food…