Information on pesticide use for landlords and building managers

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Organization: Health Canada

Date published: October 2024

ISBN: 978-0-660-73981-6

This document has been prepared by the Health Canada's Pesticide Compliance Program (PCP) to provide information to building owners and managers on the responsible use of pesticides. The PCP mandate is to promote, monitor and enforce compliance with the Pest Control Products Act.

The Pest Control Products Act

The Pest Control Products Act (PCPA) aims to prevent unacceptable health and environmental risks from the use of pest control products, also known as pesticides. In Canada, pesticides may also be regulated by provinces, territories and municipalities.

Did you know?

Any pest control device or product known as biological, natural or ecological, as well as biopesticides, meets the definition of a pesticide in Canada, and are subject to the PCPA requirements. This includes borax, mosquito traps and insecticidal soaps.

Proper use of pesticides

Prevention remains the best approach to pest management in a building. However, as a building owner or manager, you may have to deal with infestations of pests such as mice, rats, cockroaches, ants, or bedbugs, in a way that requires the use of pesticides.

Whether you use the pesticide yourself or entrust the task to a pest control specialist, the conditions of use are the same:

To ensure that a pesticide is registered in Canada, and to find the most recent version of its label, use Health Canada's online label search tool.

Questions to ask yourself before hiring a pest control specialist

  • Do you have confidence in their ability to accurately identify the problem, provide the appropriate treatment, deliver necessary information to occupants, and maintain thorough records?
  • Will they provide you with an itemized invoice that includes the name and registration number of the pesticide used?

Communicating with building occupants

Communication between the pesticide user, whether you or a pest control specialist, and the occupants is essential for efficient building treatment and to limit exposure to pesticides:

Buying pesticides online

If you're considering buying pesticides online, check first that the pesticide is registered, and that you are authorized to buy and use it in accordance with Canadian regulations.

The health and environmental safety of unregistered pesticides has not been evaluated by Health Canada. They may also not be properly labelled or packaged to ensure safe use.

The Canada Border Services Agency refuses entry to foreign pesticides that do not meet the requirements of the PCPA.

Anyone importing pesticide that does not meet the requirements of the PCPA is in violation of the PCPA and subject to enforcement action.

Ask a question or report a suspected non-compliance related to pesticide use

If you come across suspected non-compliance or if you have a question about pesticide compliance, please contact the Pesticide Compliance Program (PCP). Consult the Pesticides compliance and enforcement - Contact us webpage.

Report a pesticide incident

A pesticide incident is a negative effect (adverse reaction) to humans (ex. skin rash, headache or nausea), animals (pets or livestock) or the environment (plants or wildlife) that can result from being exposed to a pesticide. Consult Health Canada's Report a pesticide incident webpage.

For more information

Pest Control Products Act (PCPA). The PCPA is the official Health Canada document. In the event of any discrepancy with the contents of this fact sheet, the contents of the PCPA shall prevail.

Fact sheet: Commercial import of pesticides into Canada

Health Canada's Pesticide Compliance Program (PCP) is responsible for enforcing the Pest Control Products Act.

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