B.C. permanently bans use of rat poison

The province of B.C. has decided to make a temporary ban on the use of rat poison permanent.

Last July, the government imposed an 18-month ban on the use of rodenticides over concerns the poison is inadvertently killing owls, among other wildlife.

The permanent regulatory changes announced Friday will ban the widespread sale and use of second-generation anticoagulant rodenticides (SGARs), which the province says risk the secondary poisoning of animals who consume poisoned rodents.

The province spent the last 15 months conducting a review of SGARS and their impact by speaking with technical experts and holding a public consultation which received almost 1,600 responses. It outlined proposed regulatory amendments in