A new Act to better protect north eastern wildlife has received Royal Ascent. The Invasive Species Act could be put into place as early as next year. The MNR’s Jolanta Kowalski says the Act will help with issues like Hogweed. She says it will have applications throughout the province going forward.
The legislation has tools and measures that allows the MNR develop priority lists of invasive species. They can create prevention and response plans, as well as rules surrounding enforcement and penalties.
Kowalski says the Act will essentially give the MNR more teeth to deal with invasive species. It will also help with stopping the transportation of contaminated fire wood, which is a problem in the north east.