article is from 2014.
these are already banned in EU.
https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/science-environment-43910536
is it not banned in north america yet?
https://www.npr.org/sections/thesalt/2016/08/31/491962115/mi...
edit: Looks like Canada's restricting some, but the bans roll out over several years. https://www.cbc.ca/radio/quirks/august-18-2018-canada-bans-n...
What's become unexpectedly shameful is the new government under the Liberal Party elected in late 2015. That party keeps claiming to be in favour of science-based policy, but they've dragged their feet on the neonic issue just as much as the Conservatives. The general consensus is that the Liberals are worried about rural votes in the prairie provinces in the general election to be held later this year, so they're trying to avoid any action that could be perceived as "anti farmer".