A group of six Winnipeg families is set to file a human rights complaint against the Province of Manitoba.

The families live on the same street in Wolseley and say they thought they were protected from being fogged because they were in a "buffer zone" permitted by the city.

That changed when provincial health officials ordered all of Winnipeg to be fogged in mid-July because of the threat of the West Nile Virus. The order meant no "buffer zones" were recognized.

Kathleen Boylan, one of the parents launching the complaint, says at issue is the health of the 11 children the families represent.

"They're telling to put children at risk to save elderly people and immuno-compromised people who will be affected from West Nile," she says. "They've weighed those risks and they've said, 'well, this populatioin we're going to protect using malathion, but in so doing were going to put at risk these children.'"

Boylan says it's ironic she and her family ended up in Winnipeg now because she says she escaped the smog of Toronto for the sake of her family's health.

"The words that are being thrown around to justify the use of malathion are words like 'epidemic.' words like 'medical emergency,'" she says. "What really is an epidemic that justifies saying to parents, 'you know what? you can't make a decision about your child's health.'"

Derek Sanderson, who lives down the street, says parents have to speak up.

"We're their voice cause nobody listens to the children," he says.

But Sanderson's five-year old daughter Bridget has something to say about malathion.

"I don't like it when they spray, 'cause then I won't be able to wear bare feet," she says.

Bridget's mother, Amy Pacholok says she's angry.

"I feed my kids organic food and then the government comes along and forces me to spray pesticides on them or herbicides on them I don't think that's fair," says Pacholok.

Maureen Polischuk lives on the street as well, and has a three-year old toddler.

"We're not telling everyone in the city not to fog," she says. "We just specifically don't want this street fogged and it seems to be irrelevant how we feel."

The families are trying to decide whether they should launch their complaint as a group or individually. Manitoba Health officials declined to comment.

Links related to this story:


  • CBC MANITOBA INDEPTH: Malathion vs. Mosquitoes