A group representing Quebec's ornamental horticulture industry is dropping a legal challenge against rules restricting the use of pesticides in five municipalities.

The Association des services en horticulture ornementale du Québec, a group representing more than 100 businesses — many of which provide decorative or aesthetic services for lawn care and green spaces — said it wants to collaborate with municipalities, not take them to court.

“We simply want to bring the dialogue back” to the issue, said Jean-Luc Poirier, administrative coordinator of the association.

The association had filed a request for judicial review at the Quebec Superior Court to contest the new pesticide regulation in the municipalities of Saint-Hyacinthe, Granby, Beauharnois, Bromont and Plessisville. 

In the spring, each of these towns banned all pesticides, except for those they considered to be in a "low-impact" category.

The industry group withdrew its request for judicial review on Wednesday.

The decision is the latest in a battle over pesticide regulations that has prompted one critic to accuse industry of trying to intimidate small towns.

"They're using these legal challenges, in our opinion, as the equivalent of an intimidation lawsuit, to bully these small towns that have few legal resources to allocate to the case," said Pascal Priori, a public health advocate.

The proposed exceptions in the rules introduced by the five municipalities would include many biopesticides, which are derived from natural sources. The proposed rules also authorize pesticides that are on a short list of substances that the province allows on the property of childcare centres and schools.

There are also some additional exceptions in cases such as when pesticides are needed to respond to infestations.

The industry association argued in its legal challenge that the five municipalities made an "unreasonable" distinction between biopesticides and chemical pesticides in their regulations, according to the legal challenge filed in Saint-Hyacinthe.

Many experts disagree, including at the federal government level.

For example, Agriculture and Agri Food Canada says on its website that many biopesticides “are more environmentally friendly than synthetic pesticides” and “have little negative impact on the surrounding ecosystem and human health.”

The City of Saint-Hyacinthe welcomed the news that the industry group was withdrawing its challenge, saying in an email that it was “pleased not to have to devote resources to defending a regulation that it considers fully justified.”

Stéphanie Gosselin, spokesperson for the City of Beauharnois, said any further discussion with the industry association would need to respect the municipality's new restrictions.

"Our regulation was adopted to protect the health of our residents and the environment, and we have no intention of weakening its objectives," she added. 

One town, however, had already backed down on its new pesticide regulations. Plessisville decided to remove some of its restrictions to ensure it aligned with the provincial regulations after being contacted by the industry association. A city spokesperson confirmed the changes would remain despite the legal challenge being dropped.

Health Canada's Pest Management Regulatory Agency regulates the sale and use of pesticides in Canada. Provinces can then impose more restrictive laws, and, in some provinces like Quebec or British Columbia, municipalities have the right to restrict pesticides further. 

At least 165 municipalities regulate pesticide use, according to provincial data in Quebec.

Other provinces have province-wide bans. Ontario, for example, put in place a ban on cosmetic pesticides that overrides municipal regulation.

Pesticides also made headlines this summer in Ottawa with the passing of legislation that changed Canada's Pest Control Products Act to allow cabinet to override Health Canada and authorize the use of banned pesticides in the interest of economic or national food security, or in response to "seriously detrimental infestation."

Louise Vandelac, a sociology professor at the Université du Québec à Montréal who specializes in pesticide research, said it isn't necessary to use pesticides for aesthetic purposes like lawn care. Vandelac also said the practice could be a cause for concern.

“What is happening with this issue right now is that residents are worried. People who spread pesticides should be even more worried, for their own health and the health of everyone working in that field,” said Vandelac.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published July 23, 2026.