The B.C. government is making a temporary ban on certain rodenticides permanent, the Ministry of Environment and Climate Change Strategy said Friday.
The regulatory changes will limit the sale and use of "second-generation rodenticides" to sectors deemed "essential services," such as hospitals and food production.
The permanent rule changes are scheduled to take effect on Jan. 21, when an 18-month ban on the products put in place in July 2021 expires. The ministry said Friday that it received "almost 1,600 consultation responses" during the temporary ban, and decided to proceed with the proposed changes to the province's Integrated Pest Management Regulation.
Some of the feedback the ministry received almost certainly came from Vancouver Island residents and members of Rodenticide Free B.C.