Municipal bylaw to reduce cosmetic/non-essential pesticide use on household lawns - a policy implementation evaluation

Table 2 Relevant indicators of Toronto pesticide policy roll-out and program implementation.

Domain	Indicator	Gardening Season
		2004	2005	2006	2007	2008
Enforcement/legal	Bylaw complaint investigations	1672	1118	294	74	127*
	Warning letters issued	NA	6	28	6	0
	Convictions	NA	3	0	1	3
Education & Outreach	Advertisements placed	353	503	335	850**	850
	Website - Pages of content	50	197	230	No info	No info
	Traffic/month	4,754	7,999	12,000
	General information materials (postcard, brochure, pamphlet)	40,000	20,356	92, 949	89,250	> 75,000
	Technical manual	435	892	482	45	25
	Plastic "pesticide" free lawn signs	3000	1646	300	Discontinued	NA
	Telephone Inquiries	709	588	434	174	318
	Presentations at events	53	74	74	32	20
	Go Natural retail participation	NA	122 stores 83,343 materials	122 stores 98,000 materials	113 stores 53,334 materials	145 30,627 materials
	Fact sheets on natural gardening	NA	NA	> 2500	> 2500	> 2500

*Several lawn care companies introduced a new lower-risk pesticide in 2008, which triggered an increase in complaints, though the pesticide was compliant with the bylaw.
** In 2007 and 2008, TPH initiated an extensive month-long radio ad campaign, which significantly increased the number of ads.
NA = Not applicable

ISSN: 1476-069X