The city has begun a series of open houses to talk about pesticide use and whether there should be a total ban on the chemicals in Calgary.

The first meeting was held Wednesday night in a crowded banquet room at the Deerfoot Inn and Casino. Both supporters and opponents of a pesticide ban were among the dozens who attended.

The city is considering phasing out the cosmetic use of pesticides on public land by 2010, and private land by 2011. (CBC)Craig Girdot looked over information poster boards with a grim expression on his face. He runs a lawn fertilizer and pesticide company with eight trucks in his fleet and argues that no pesticides will mean many more weeds.

"There's going to be more this year, more next year and pretty soon your lawn will be covered in them," he said. "Sure, people can dig them out, but can you imagine the city trying to dig out weeds? The labour force just isn't there."

Brenda Harris, a worker in the weed control industry, said pesticide control is not a city hall issue.

"Pesticides are an emotional issue, but they are regulated by Health Canada," she said. "They look at a lot of scientific data and they make a decision on the safety of the product."

But Evie Rodway, of the Canadian Cancer Society, is looking for a "very strong bylaw."

"What that means is a bylaw that doesn't leave much room for exceptions. So we would like to see all cosmetic use — use for cosmetic purposes – to be banned."

The city is considering phasing out the cosmetic use of pesticides on public land by 2010, and private land by 2011. City administrators are expected to have a pesticide use bylaw ready for council to debate by the end of October.