The Ontario Invasive Plant…

**The following comment is an excerpt from the full document attached.**

The Ontario Invasive Plant Council is pleased to learn that six new invasive plants are proposed for regulation under the Invasive Species Act.

We support the proposal by the MNRF to regulate European Frog-bit (Hydrocharis morsus-ranae) as Prohibited, and the following plants be regulated as Restricted: Yellow Floating Heart (Nymphoides peltata), Carolina Fanwort (Cabomba caroliniana), Bohemian Knotweed (Reynoutria × bohemica), Giant Knotweed (Reynoutria sachalinensis), and Himalayan Knotweed (Koenigia polystachya).

The OIPC also supports the proposed species-specific rules for plants.

We also support the proposal in regard to overland carrier transport. The OIPC supports the initiative to establish a regulation requiring the removal of all aquatic organisms from the watercraft and that all water is drained from the watercraft as soon as it is removed from a waterbody.

Strong consideration should be given to requiring/recommending standard cleaning practices be adhered to in order to remove all aquatic plants from the external and internal parts of boats, trailers and any equipment that has entered the water during the removal process.

The creation of a public awareness campaign such as Clean, Drain, Dry would support behaviour change and a program like this, would align with the messaging currently implemented in British Columbia and several other provinces.

The OIPC suggests that the following species and their subspecies and cultivars be considered for listing: Tree-of-Heaven (Ailanthus altissima), White Mulberry (Morus alba), Flowering Rush (Butomus umbellatus), Winged Burning Bush (Euonymus alatus), Oriental/Asiatic Bittersweet (Celastrus orbiculatus), Norway Maple (Acer platanoides), Common Buckthorn(Rhamnus cathartica), and Glossy Buckthorn (Frangula alnus).