Sea to Sky Invasive Species Council

The Invasive Plant Council of BC (IPCBC) forum and related meetings held in Richmond last week were very productive.  Some highlights:

• The provincial government restructure has caused confusion on the subject of invasives.  Things that still need to be sorted include: new roles and responsibilities at a provincial level; the new weed control act (to include coastal species); the new provincial EDRR (early detect rapid response) plan; and funding for these programs as well as work on the ground completed by the regional committees.  Hopefully when this is all sorted there will be positive change as well - timelines were not given.
• The partnership between SSISC and the other weed committees across the province continues to strengthen by increased cooperation and sharing of successes and challenges.  As more regional weed committees join IPCBC committees, the 'on the ground' perspective will be increasingly represented at a provincial level. 
• It was make clear how important it is for anyone concerned about invasive species to contact  local politicians, MLAs and Ministers and bring the invasive issue to a high priority if  financial support is expected.
• A new local government toolkit for invasive plant management created by the IPCBC was presented and contains very useful information for any municipality or regional district involved with invasive plant management.  The toolkit can be downloaded from the IPCBC website: Report no. 14.