BC Freedom of Information and Privacy Association
Your Data Your Rights
Oka has ordered water tests after it was named as one of seven cities with elevated levels of a byproduct of s-metolachlor, a common herbicide, in a sample of its drinking water, according to a study published by Vigilance OGM.
“Our water is safe to drink,” emphasized Oka mayor Patrick Hardy, despite the study’s finding. Oka’s water supply is already rigorously tested, he said, although the pesticide identified is not part of routine tests.
“We’re going to communicate more information as soon as we get the additional information,” he said of the tests that are being conducted, “but I have no concerns about our water quality.”
While the sum of pesticides in the water sample taken from Oka was below the threshold set by Europe, the level of metolachore ESA, a metabolite of s-metolachlor, was 140 nanograms per litre, 40 percent higher than the European standard of a maximum of 100 nanograms.
S-metolachlor has been banned in Europe since November 2024, where it has been classified as a suspected carcinogen. The allowable quantity of S-metolachlor byproducts in drinking water in Quebec or Canada is much less stringent, according to Vigilance OGM.
The study was a collaboration between Vigilance OGM and University of Montreal professor Sébastien Sauvé.
Vigilance OGM executive director Thibault Rehn said the organization’s goal is to make governments act to reduce the use of pesticides.
“Infrastructure is too costly; that’s why we want the water quality to improve at the source, rather than try to have municipalities invest even more in their water infrastructure,” Rehn said.
“The role of the government is really to make sure there is a decrease in the general use of pesticides, but they haven’t been able to do it.”
In Oka, some water comes from the Lake of Two Mountains via the filtration plant, including Kanesatake Mohawk Territory in the Oka village area.
Other parts of Oka are serviced by groundwater from Oka Park. It is unclear which source the Vigilance OGM sample comes from; Hardy declined to specify, citing his desire not to contribute to unnecessary panic, and emphasized that more data will soon be available.
Vigilance OGM acknowledged in its press release that pesticide quantities in water can fluctuate significantly.
However, Oka does have a large agricultural sector, which is associated with the use of the chemicals targeted by Viligance OGM’s study.
Hardy said he doesn’t have the expertise to weigh in on whether agricultural strategies should be adjusted, but he suggested the responsibility lies with powerful corporations that manufacture pesticides and their lobbying efforts.
“Our farmers, they’re in a situation where they’re stuck with seed prices and market value, and they’re stuck in this system where they’re trying to operate and hoping the weather’s on their side, so I understand their position as well,” he said.
“Do we need to review the way that we support our farmers and the people who grow our food? It absolutely should be one of our top priorities in today’s society, so we can move towards food independence locally in a whole bunch of different local clusters across the province.”
He said this could involve consumers changing their expectations and eating more seasonal produce, adding that in his opinion, he would like to see a move to more regenerative farming, which would result in less runoff.
However, he thinks the way the study was announced caused unnecessary fear among residents of the cities identified, when the organization’s stated goal is to influence public policy.
Kanehsata’kehró:non Celyne Gaspé, who lives on Kanesatake Mohawk Territory in Oka village, suggested she wasn’t surprised to learn about the study.
“I don’t drink the municipal water. I do shower in it and brush my teeth and wash my dishes and clothes with it,” she said, but she thinks off-grid living gives people more control, even if she lives in the village. She said she thinks Kanesatake should avoid developing a similar water system.
She noted that the pesticide identified by the study is used to kill weeds in agriculture and has been deemed a suspected carcinogen. “They say they don’t know what causes cancer, but they do know,” she said.
Mohawk Council of Kanesatake (MCK) caretaker chief Brant Etienne noted that Kanesatake is mostly on well water, but he said agricultural practices may need to be revised in nearby cities.
“I think the surrounding municipalities are really going to have to take a long, hard look and start maybe re-evaluating what their policies are and how they’re going to juggle this,” he said.
The Kanesatake Health Center (KHC) has conducted testing of well water, but Etienne was not sure whether it is screened for the presence of pesticides; the KHC did not respond by deadline to a request for information on its testing.
Etienne speculated that Kanesatake may be insulated from the type of contaminants identified by Vigilance OGM, but that that doesn’t mean Kanesatake’s water doesn’t need to be considered, too, citing the prevalence of illegal dumping.
“We may not have this problem, but we have our own serious problems that we have to consider,” he said.
The other municipalities cited by Vigilance OGM as having high levels of metolachlor ESA in drinking water samples were Chateauguay, Cowansville, Longueuil, Montreal, Repentigny, and St. Cesaire, with the latter being by far the worst result, with almost 10 times the amount than in Oka’s water sample.
marcus@easterndoor.com
Marcus Bankuti, Local Journalism Initiative Reporter
The Local Journalism Initiative (LJI) is a federally funded program to add coverage in under-covered areas or on under-covered issues. This content is created and submitted by participating publishers and is not edited. Access can also be gained by registering and logging in at: https://lji-ijl.ca
You can support trusted and verified news content like this.
FIPA’s news monitor subscribers, donors and funders help make these available to everyone rather than behind a paywall. We appreciate every contribution because it makes a difference.
If you found this article interesting and useful, please consider contributing here.
