With the provincial government considering cosmetic pesticide legislation, the golf industry is anxious to keep golf course exemption from such legislation top of mind with legislators.

The provincial government has been seeking input on potential legislation. You can submit your opinion online at http://www.leg.bc.ca/pesticidescommittee/ until the end of the day today.

Tim Foley from the Kimberley Golf Club urges you to do so, and to take a minute to consider the impact on the local golf industry if such a ban were to include golf courses.

There is no indication as yet what the final legislation will be, or if in fact there will be legislation, but Foley says letting the government know your thoughts is important.

"What got us going is that the final proposed legislation by the NDP was elimination of pesticides on golf courses within give years, with the exception of greens. Now the final legislation may not include that, but if that idea is out there, that may be the way some people in Victoria are thinking," Foley said. "What some may not be thinking about is that our summer tourism is golf, especially in this area, especially in Kimberley. If we can't compete conditions-wise, the golfers will stay in Alberta or go to the States."

Foley says that without pesticides it could take until mid to the end of June before golf courses are out of early season conditions.

He says people need to think twice before grouping golf courses in with home owners.

"Management tools such as pesticides are not used "cosmetically" on golf courses but are instead essential for their successful operation. In a competitive market that has become more intense over the last few years, a golf course with poor playing conditions as a result of unmanaged pests or disease will not survive. Golf courses in British Columbia will not be able to compete for players with courses in Alberta or south of the border who are not hampered by pesticide ban."

He says that pesticide use is considered carefully on golf courses.

"We do a cost analysis on treatments. There is a cost to buying and applying pesticides and we think about it before we use them."

With respect to legislation exempting golf courses, Foley believes, it would far better to include golf courses in the same category of industry that forestry and agriculture has been grouped in. Even in the bill proposed by the New Democrats forestry and agriculture were not impacted by any pesticide ban, he says.

For more information on pesticides and the golf industry go to www.kimberleygolfclub.blogspot.com