TORONTO — Environmental groups are filing a lawsuit over federal permits for two common pesticides that some say are behind large die-offs in bee populations.
The lawsuit filed in Federal Court in Toronto takes aim at so-called neonics, which are among the most widely used pesticides in Canada.
The three environmental groups allege the federal pesticide regulator has failed to follow its own rules in allowing the chemicals to be used.
They allege the Pest Management Regulatory Agency has never consulted the public about the pesticides, despite its own reservations about their effects.
U.S. studies suggest the chemicals harm bees in some situations, but not in others, and act differently on wild and domesticated bees.
Bees are considered crucial because they pollinate plants that provide a significant amount of the human food supply.
