[Pollinator] Please submit comments supporting the removal of milkweed as a noxious weed in Ontario

Wed Mar 12 13:54:59 PDT 2014

http://www.ebr.gov.on.ca/ERS-WEB-External/displaynoticecontent.do?noticeId=M
TIxNzQz
<http://www.ebr.gov.on.ca/ERS-WEB-External/displaynoticecontent.do?noticeId=
MTIxNzQz&statusId=MTgyNDQy&language=en> &statusId=MTgyNDQy&language=en 

The information below is cut-and-paste from the Environmental Registry link
above.

Thanks to Sheila Colla and Victoria MacPhail for sharing this first!

Regulation Proposal Notice:                       EBR Registry Number:
012-1204

Title:

Updating the Schedule of Noxious Weeds in R.R.O. 1990, Regulation 1096 -
General, made under the Weed Control Act, R.S.O. 1990, c. W.5 (removal of
milkweed and addition of dog-strangling vine)

Ministry:

Ministry of Agriculture and Food

Date Proposal loaded to the Registry:

February 28, 2014

Keyword(s):   Agriculture

Comment Period: 45 days: submissions may be made between February 28, 2014
and April 14, 2014.

Description of Regulation:

The Ministry of Agriculture and Food (OMAF) is proposing an amendment to
R.R.O. 1990, Regulation 1096 - General (the Regulation) in order to make two
minor changes to the Schedule of Noxious Weeds. The proposal is to remove
milkweed spp. (scientific name Asclepias spp.) from the Schedule of Noxious
Weeds in the Regulation and to add dog-strangling vine.

Purpose of Regulation:

The purpose of the proposal is to amend the Schedule of Noxious Weeds in the
Regulation in order to remove milkweed spp. and to add dog-strangling vine
as prescribed noxious weeds.

Under the Weed Control Act, R.S.O. 1990, c. W.5 (the Act), every person in
possession of land is obligated to destroy all noxious weeds on it. However,
this duty does not apply to noxious weeds or weed seeds that are far enough
away from any land used for agricultural or horticultural purposes that the
weeds or weed seeds do not interfere with that use. As a result, any person
in possession of land where prescribed noxious weeds are present, and which
could negatively affect lands used for agricultural or horticultural
purposes, is responsible for controlling any prescribed noxious weeds
present on it. Under the Act, the person in possession of the land may also
be held responsible for the costs associated with removal. Depending on the
lands and the conditions of use, this responsibility could rest with
landowners (including farmers), municipalities and conservation authorities,
among others.

The Schedule of Noxious Weeds lists milkweed spp. as the common name of the
weed and Asclepias spp. as the scientific name of the weed. This description
is very broad. As written, the term could extend to all species in the
Asclepias genus, which includes many individual species, including
four-leaved milkweed (a species at risk in Ontario) and other species in the
Asclepias genus that are not considered a threat to agriculture or
horticulture in Ontario.

The species common milkweed (Asclepias syriaca) has traditionally been
viewed as a noxious weed in Ontario. It is considered to be common to
widespread in many parts of southern and northern Ontario and it forms an
important part of the native and naturalized vegetation in the province.
Common milkweed also provides an important habitat and a larval food source
for the Monarch butterfly. Milkweed species also play a key role in
biodiversity in Ontario. The presence of common milkweed on lands that are
not being actively farmed would be considered a low to negligible risk to
activities on nearby agricultural or horticultural lands. Farmers can take
proper management steps on their own lands to reduce the threat that common
milkweed can pose to grazing livestock. Since milkweed spp. was added to the
Schedule of Noxious Weeds initially, there has been an expansion in the
number of management options available to farmers to address common milkweed
on lands that are actively farmed.

Dog-strangling vine occurs in several places in southern Ontario, growing in
ravines, hillsides, waste areas, fence lines and hedges. It forms dense
patches and can overwhelm other vegetation, including agricultural crops. It
is an invasive plant that can be difficult to control once established.
Although the Monarch butterfly is attracted to the plant, any eggs laid will
not survive. It is, therefore, considered a hazard to Monarch butterfly
populations.

The proposed changes would support important government initiatives related
to biodiversity and the environment, such as the commitments made in
Biodiversity: It’s in Our Nature, Ontario Government Plan to Conserve
Biodiversity, 2012–2020, the government’s response to the Biodiversity
Strategy. At the same time, the proposed regulation would remove the legal
burden on persons in possession of land to remove common milkweed where its
presence could negatively affect lands used for agricultural or
horticultural purposes. The addition of dog-strangling vine will provide
more tools to local weed inspectors to address this invasive plant species.

Public Consultation:

This proposal has been posted for a 45 day public review and comment period
starting February 28, 2014. If you have any questions, or would like to
submit your comments, please do so by April 14, 2014 to the individual
listed under "Contact". Additionally, you may submit your comments on-line.

All comments received prior to April 14, 2014 will be considered as part of
the decision-making process by the Ministry of Agriculture and Food if they
are submitted in writing or electronically using the form provided in this
notice and reference EBR Registry number 012-1204.

Please Note: All comments and submissions received will become part of the
public record. You will not receive a formal response to your comment,
however, relevant comments received as part of the public participation
process for this proposal will be considered by the decision maker for this
proposal.

Contact:

All comments on this proposal must be directed to:

Mike Cowbrough

Weed Management Field Crops Program Lead

Ministry of Agriculture and Food

Economic Development Division

Agriculture Development Branch

University of Guelph Office

50 Stone Road East

Crop Science Building, University of Guelph

Crop Science Building, Université de Guelph

Guelph Ontario

N1G2W1

Phone: (519) 824-4120 Ext. 52580

To submit a comment online, click the submit button below:

Additional Information:

The documents linked below are provided for the purposes of enhancing public
consultation.

All links will open in a new window

1. Milkweed Species in Ontario

2. R.R.O. Regulation 1096 (General)

3. Weed Control Act

4. Dog-Strangling Vine

Victoria Wojcik, Ph.D.

Research Director

Pollinator Partnership

423 Washington Street, 5th floor

San Francisco, CA  94111

e.  <mailto:vw at pollinator.org> vw at pollinator.org

t. 415-362-1137

w.  <http://www.pollinator.org/> www.pollinator.org 

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