Métis Nation of Ontario calls on Ontario to immediately suspend aerial spraying of glyphosate-based herbicides in Ontario’s forests
Annual General Assembly passes another resolution, continuing MNO’s quarter century of urging practical, non-chemical alternatives and full Indigenous consultation
Ottawa: August 22, 2025. The Métis Nation of Ontario (MNO) is again calling on the Government of Ontario to ban the aerial spraying of glyphosate-based herbicides in provincial forests. The resolution (#25-AGA-OR-07) passed decisively at the MNO’s Annual General Assembly (AGA) on August 17, 2025, reaffirming the position the MNO has held opposing herbicide use in forest management for more than a quarter century.
The MNO is calling on the Government of Ontario to immediately suspend its 2025 aerial spraying programs, initiate joint planning with the MNO and First Nations, and resource non-chemical vegetation management across Ontario’s forests.
Ontario currently restricts cosmetic pesticide use on home lawns and gardens. The MNO is urging the Government of Ontario to bring a similar precautionary approach to Crown forests where rights-bearing Métis and First Nations harvest food and medicines.
“Métis communities in Ontario hunt, fish, gather and harvest medicines across forests in MNO’s traditional territories. Our harvesters depend on our forests. When toxic sprays fall on the land, they fall on our food, water and Métis way of life,” said Margaret Froh, President of the Métis Nation of Ontario. “The Forest Stewardship Council recently added glyphosate to its list of Highly Hazardous Chemicals. We must protect our forests with solutions that don’t put our biodiversity at risk. Ontario needs to revisit its decision to continue using this toxic substance.”
“The MNO has been calling on Ontario to end this practice since 1999 when we first passed a resolution opposing herbicide spraying in forests. We stand shoulder-to-shoulder with First Nations leadership who have called for an end to aerial glyphosate spraying this summer,” said Mitch Case, Provincial Secretary of the Métis Nation of Ontario. “There are proven alternatives, and provinces like Saskatchewan and Quebec banned herbicide spraying in public forests. Ontario can do the same. The forests are the gardens that feed and sustain our communities—their ongoing poisoning through herbicide spraying must stop.”
Adopted by the MNO’s citizens, the resolution calls on Ontario to end aerial spraying of glyphosate-based herbicides in provincial forests and to work with Indigenous governments on practical non-chemical alternatives. This aligns with renewed calls from Ontario First Nations and territorial organizations to abolish glyphosate-based herbicides and to resource sustainable replacements.
Aerial spray windows often overlap with traditional foraging seasons for berries, mushrooms, chaga and other medicines relied on by Métis families. Many Métis citizens consume roots and fruiting bodies of plants as foods and medicines, and MNO communities are worried about the impacts it would have on their health after consuming plants treated with glyphosate over a significant period of time.
Recent notices show spraying programs scheduled from mid-August through late September in parts of Northern Ontario.
Media inquiries: Media@metisnation.org
About the MNO
The Métis Nation of Ontario (MNO) is the democratically elected, federally and provincially recognized government of Métis citizens and communities in Ontario, including the Métis community in and around Sault Ste. Marie that was recognized by the Supreme Court of Canada in R v. Powley. The MNO represents more than 32,000 Section 35 rights-bearing Métis Citizens in Ontario. Since signing the Métis Government Recognition and Self-Government Implementation Agreement with Canada in 2023, the MNO has continued to strengthen its institutions, advance self-determination, and build productive partnerships across government and industry.