By: charles dolwin

charles dolwin — Mon, 16 Mar 2009 18:57:07 +0000

It’s good that Councilor Fletcher has drawn attention to the bed bug issue. It was a bit of a sleeper before she put it on front pages though for those in the know, we knew it was spreading and fast.
the issue of “health hazard” is one of legal definitions. Under the Ontario Health Promotion and Protection Act, bed bugs are clearly not a “health hazard” any more than a cut finger is a health hazard, or a bee sting, though each of these could be more serious in particular individuals, and so bed bugs can pose risks and stress, but under the Act the term “health hazard” is reserved for such things a epidemic diseases as typhus, or SARS or West Nile Virus or Polio as it was in the 50’s. Reg Ayre is quite right calling it a “health concern” .. but the terminology takes nothing away from the urgency of the issue. Everyone is scrambling to do things right to stop the problem, but it will take a process of co-operation that must be entrenched in both education and in regulation. Without education, the continuing stigma and misinformation is ongoing, and without regulation the blame game never stops.
The education must clearly educate individuals on how to protect themselves and what things they should be doing to stop infestation from being brought into their homes and what to do if they have it in their homes and the regulation must define responsibiities of all involved, tenants and landlords, municipal regulators includintg public health as a resource. When all those who are accountable start to work together more from a focus of solving the problem than blaming , then the problem will get solved. It is going to take a lot of work, and care, because it easily goes to temporary overkill with loads of spraying of inseciticdes for short term control, and this is happening…… rather than sustainable programs.. For the sustainable programs to happen, ALL stakeholders must understand their roles.. and there must be funding to help those who cannot help themselves and this takes management in the classic IPM model… few understand what IPM really means. Hopefully this will change but likely not without a lot of unnecessary overkill by excessive spraying before those in charge finally start to see how IPM works, and that it requires some knowledge .. more than just saying.,.,. let’s spray the whole building or every unit around an infested unit…
the latter may be necessary in some cases, but perhaps not in all or even most cases. That remains to be seen..
if that is the case, then there is going to be an awful lot of spraying going on for the forseeable future.. Let’s hope not..

Comments on: Toronto Councillor Paula Fletcher has some progressive ideas about bed bugs

By: charles dolwin