More garden product retailers are choosing to stock their shelves with non-toxic treatments for lawn care.

In Regina, where people are anxious for summer to begin so they can start to enjoy their yards, a local Home Depot store has decided not to sell pesticides that are effective on weeds but unwelcome to people concerned about chemical sensitivities.

Don Fleece, the store manager, told CBC News he has joined a growing list of retailers who are opting to sell only eco-friendly lawn and garden products.

"I'm not harming the environment," Fleece said about his own choice in using the non-toxic treatments, "And it's a lot safer for me to use, personally."

The Canadian Cancer Society has expressed concerns about so-called cosmetic pesticides, saying the harsh chemicals used can be linked to many forms of cancer.

"People are more worried about pesticides," Donna Ziegler, a spokeswoman for the society's Saskatchewan branch, told CBC News. "They're not as safe as people think they are."

Ziegler applauded retailers who are responding to concerns and moving items off their shelves.

According to the society, Saskatchewan residents have the highest rate of pesticide use in the country. The agency wants the government to follow the lead of industry and ban both the sale and use of cosmetic pesticides, similar to laws already enacted in Ontario and Quebec.

Provincial environment officials said a website will be launched in May to provide information about cosmetic pesticides and alternative products.

Rob Kidd, a spokesman for the ministry, said there is no plan for a ban.

"At the present time, we fall on what the federal government has said, and they said with the proper use, these chemicals are acceptable," Kidd told CBC News.

That position, however, is not viewed as acceptable to the cancer society, which insists many diseases can be linked to harsh lawn chemicals.

"Such as non-Hodgkins lymphoma, such as brain cancer, such as prostate cancer, thyroid cancer, breast cancer," Ziegler said, identifying specific concerns. "There's many, and it's not just in adults; it's in children as well who are much more vulnerable."

Ziegler pointed out that youngsters are often playing on lawns, and are in close proximity to fumes emitted from treated areas.