MLA tries to ban sale of toxic antifreeze
Jeff Rud, Times Colonist
Published: Thursday, March 08, 2007
They hail from opposite political parties, but they share a concern for cats and other animals.
For that reason, Environment Minister Barry Penner and NDP MLA Scott Fraser (Alberni-Qualicum) agree that something should be done to control the sale in B.C. of antifreeze containing ethylene glycol.
The poisonous chemical's sweet taste leads to thousands of deaths of wild and domestic animals each year, said Fraser as he introduced a private member's bill, The Safe Antifreeze Act, yesterday in the legislature. The bill would ban the sale of all antifreeze that includes ethylene glycol. Fraser has nicknamed it "Andre's Bill" after his own family's cat, which died after swallowing antifreeze.
"It was horrible to watch Andre die," Fraser said in a release touting the bill. "And when I discovered that there are cheap and safe alternatives [without ethylene glycol] I started to wonder why we allow the sale of a sweet-tasting liquid so poisonous it kills thousands of pets each year."
Penner has spoken to Fraser about the bill and has instructed his staff to study the issue."I've been a pet-lover myself all my life and I lost my cat of 15 years last fall,'' Penner said. "Old Mr. Puss finally moved on to a different location, so I certainly sympathize with pet owners that have this concern and with Mr. Fraser, and I think it is a legitimate issue so we are taking it seriously.''
Penner's cat likely died of a stroke and not antifreeze poisoning, but he said the B.C. government is concerned about product safety "and this product in particular.'' He said the ministry will study what is done in other jurisdictions in Canada before deciding how to approach the issue.
"I've asked my ministry officials to examine this proposal and to see what is the best course of action in terms of adding to the security of this product out in the marketplace.''