Re: Ontario’s Draft Pollinator Health Action Plan - #EBR 012-6393

The Canadian Association of Physicians for the Environment (CAPE) provides a formal response to Ontario's draft Pollinator Health Action Plan, supporting its goals to protect pollinators from stressors like pesticide exposure and habitat loss while calling for more specific targets, independent oversight, and cumulative pesticide assessments.

• CAPE supports the draft Pollinator Health Action Plan's objective to protect pollinators by addressing four primary stressors: climate change and weather, pesticide exposure, diseases, pests and genetics, and the loss of nutrition and habitat.
• The organization expresses concern over neonicotinoid pesticides used on soy and corn seeds, noting that managed honey bees in Ontario have faced a crisis since 2007, with average over-wintering losses of approximately 35% in recent years.
• Citing a study from the Harvard TH Chan School of Public Health, the document states that a total loss of animal pollinators could lead to a 23% decrease in global fruit supplies, a 16% decrease in vegetables, and a 22% decrease in nuts and seeds, potentially increasing annual human deaths from nutrition-related and chronic diseases by 1.42 million.
• CAPE recommends four specific improvements to the strategic plan: the establishment of an independent advisory body for scientific evidence-based implementation, the provision of incentives for farmers using pollinator-friendly practices, a cumulative assessment of pesticide exposures for pollinators in Ontario, and the inclusion of specific budgets, roles, timelines, goals, and targets for each outcome.

APA

Canadian Association of Physicians for the Environment (2016). Re: Ontario’s Draft Pollinator Health Action Plan - #EBR 012-6393. https://cape.ca/wp-content/uploads/2018/03/Letter-to-OMAFRA-re-Ontario’s-Draft-Pollinator-Health-Action-Plan-March-2016.pdf#new_tab

Chicago

Canadian Association of Physicians for the Environment. Re: Ontario’s Draft Pollinator Health Action Plan - #EBR 012-6393. 2016. https://cape.ca/wp-content/uploads/2018/03/Letter-to-OMAFRA-re-Ontario’s-Draft-Pollinator-Health-Action-Plan-March-2016.pdf#new_tab.

Wikipedia

{{cite press release |author=Canadian Association of Physicians for the Environment |title=Re: Ontario’s Draft Pollinator Health Action Plan - #EBR 012-6393 |date=1 March 2016 |url=https://cape.ca/wp-content/uploads/2018/03/Letter-to-OMAFRA-re-Ontario’s-Draft-Pollinator-Health-Action-Plan-March-2016.pdf#new_tab |access-date=17 August 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@misc{canadianassociationofphysiciansfortheenvironment2016ontarios, author = {{Canadian Association of Physicians for the Environment}}, title = {{Re: Ontario’s Draft Pollinator Health Action Plan - \#EBR 012-6393}}, publisher = {Canadian Association of Physicians for the Environment}, year = {2016}, month = mar, url = {https://cape.ca/wp-content/uploads/2018/03/Letter-to-OMAFRA-re-Ontario’s-Draft-Pollinator-Health-Action-Plan-March-2016.pdf#new_tab}, urldate = {2026-08-17}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }