Ontario Looks to Pass Its Own Invasive Species Act

Invasive species are those foreign fowls, fish, reptiles, animals, or even plants that once introduced into an environment have the capability of quickly overrunning it and adversely harming the ecosystem or threatening the existence of other species included protected ones. The province of Ontario is now considering a bill that would be the nation’s first stand-alone legislation to bar the entry of such species into the environment. It is being reported that the motivation for a local jurisdiction is stemming from the threat posed by the Asian carp on the Great Lakes region.

According to David Orazietti, the Natural Resources Minister, who addressed reporters at Queens Park, the newly introduced bill is necessary as the Asian Carp threat is now looking to enter Ontario’s rivers and streams from the United States where it has already overrun some habitats. With such a powerful threat looming at his province’s doorstep, he wants to see Ontario have a basic framework in place for how to deal with the threat.

There is good reason for the province to desire a better means of dealing with invasive species. They already grapple with how to deal with the following threats which have occurred over the past few years: the perennial grass & ecosystem busting plant called the European reed, the round goby which is now present in all of the Great Lakes, the ash borer beetle, and longhorn beetle. Minister Orazietti claims the province spends tens of millions annually in efforts to stem the environmental and economic damage being caused by invasive species. He believes that without this important new legislation introduced just yesterday, the province will be looking spending even more money.

The bill would allow Ontario to respond much faster to threats than current laws allow. They will also have additional tools at their disposal to ban the methods being used to import the threats. Lastly, they will have authority for more aggressive inspection and compliance enforcement.

Source:
http://www.thestar.com/news/queenspark/2014/02/26/ontario_introduces_canadas_first_invasive_species_law.htm