Is CCC cutting costs at the expense of its citizen’s health?
What: Fabian Society Meeting on Christchurch City Council’s plans to increase the use of weedkiller (Roundup)
Where: Main Hall - Workers Education Association, 59 Gloucester St (opposite the Centre of Contemporary Art)
Who: Professor Jack Heinemann and Jodie Bruning
When: Thursday July 16 2020 7:15 PM (Doors open 7pm)
In June 2020 the Christchurch City Council proposed a return to using more weed killers containing glyphosate as a post Covid-19 cost-cutting measure.
“We’ve made great progress with organic measures in our parks, but they’re more labour intensive and about five times more expensive, so this proposed change would be a quick and easy way to save a lot of money in the current economic environment,” stated Christchurch City Council’s Head of Parks Andrew Rutledge.
A few weeks after Mr Rutledge’s announcement that the proposed change would be a “quick and easy way to save money” the Guardian reported on 24 June 2020 that;
German pharmaceutical company Bayer says it’s paying up to $10.9bn to settle a lawsuit over subsidiary Monsanto’s weed killer Roundup, which has faced numerous lawsuits over claims it causes cancer.
To give the public of Christchurch, and their elected representatives, (should they choose to attend), more information about Glyphosate/Roundup the Fabian Society this Thursday 16 July at 7:15PM is hosting a meeting regarding the Council’s proposal :
A return to pumping out more weed killer into community and pedestrian areas, into Christchurch’s parks and reserves as a “quick and easy way to save money.”
Speaking at this meeting will be two researchers:
- Professor Jack Heinemann of Canterbury University
- Environmental activist Jodie Brunning
Professor Heinemann was recently in the media regarding a study finding of his that bacteria develop antibiotic resistance up to 100,000 times faster when exposed to the world’s most widely used herbicides, Roundup (glyphosate) and Kamba (dicamba) and antibiotics compared to without the herbicide.
This study adds to a growing body of evidence that herbicides used on a mass industrial scale, but not intended to be antibiotics, can have profound effects on bacteria, with potentially negative implications for medicine’s ability to treat infectious diseases.
Jodie Brunning worked alongside former Green Party MP Steffan Browning in critiquing a New Zealand Environmental Protection Agency study into glyphosate that was at odds with many public health scientists and indeed the World Health Organisation.
To all the Otahuatahi/Christchurch members of the Fabian society let's venture out and find out what is happening with this issue!
Note: This meeting is open to any interested parties, including CCC’s Head of Parks Andrew Routledge and the Christchurch City Councillors that will be voting on this issue.
59 Gloucester Street
Christchurch, CAN
New Zealand