"RAGWEED - RIP IT OUT, DON'T BREATHE IT IN!" RAGWEED ERADICATION BLITZ


Gatineau, July 13, 2011. – The slogan "Ragweed – rip it out, don't breathe it in" is Gatineau's invitation to residents to take part in a ragweed eradication blitz on their properties in July. To help with the task, it is offering residents, groups and neighbourhood associations who register between July 15 and 30 an information kit and tools free of charge when they register online through www.gatineau.ca.

Gatineau's environment patrol will start meeting with residents on July 11 to make them aware of this issue and encourage them to organize ragweed eradication blitzes in their sectors. Anyone who organizes a blitz can count on help from the environment patrol.

This year, Gatineau will also start preparing a ragweed inventory along municipal roads to determine the extent of the problem. This will help guide residents and Gatineau in planning their blitzes. At the same time, Gatineau will undertake a pilot project to test a low- impact ecological herbicide to destroy ragweed before it flowers.

We remind you that in Quebec more than one out of six people are allergic to ragweed pollen, and under the municipal by-law on nuisances, ragweed on a property is a nuisance. The most effective way to avoid the spread of ragweed pollen is to uproot the plant before it flowers, which is around late July.

For additional information, please consult the municipal Web site at www.gatineau.ca or call 3-1-1.