WHEREAS aquatic invasive species pose a significant and growing threat to British Columbias and Canadas freshwater and marine ecosystems with devastating consequences to multiple economic sectors in both BC and Canada; AND WHEREAS Zebra and Quagga mussels in particular are an invasive species that if introduced into BC waters they are known to create toxic algae blooms, ruin beaches with sharp shells, destroy boat motors, foul water intakes and outfalls, put the ecology of the water at risk including its fishery - and could cost the Okanagan alone more than 43 million a year just to manage; AND WHEREAS Zebra and Quagga mussels have been found in thirty-three 33 states in the United States of America and are currently in the Great Lakes in Ontario and Quebec and in October, 2012 were found in Lake Winnipeg, Manitoba and there is as yet no proven method to eradicate the mussels once they are found in a body of water; AND WHEREAS British Columbia has legislation in the Controlled Alien Species Regulations that provides fines and imprisonment for possession, breeding, transporting, releasing or allowing to be released or escape into BC waters but has no inspection stations to check or decontaminate boats and trailers that might be carrying these mussels; and since it is the jurisdiction of the federal government to regulate or ban the importation of these mussels and it does not currently have regulations in place to make it possible for Canadian Border Services Agency staff to inspect or stop contaminated boats from entering Canada from the United States: THEREFORE BE IT RESOLVED that UBCM call upon the provincial government to provide the Ministry of Environment additional and sufficient financial and human resources to undertake boat inspections at interprovincial points of entry and within the province; AND BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that UBCM call upon the provincial government to urge the federal government to pass its pending regulations under the federal Fisheries Act to prevent the introduction of aquatic invasive species into Canadian waters and to control and manage their establishment and spread once introduced, as soon as possible and that the provincial government offer its cooperation to partner with CBSA to ensure appropriate inspection and enforcement at international border crossings in the province.
Ministry of Environment The Province of British Columbia has conducted pilot boat inspection programs in south eastern BC in collaboration with local stewardship groups, to increase the awareness of boaters around the new provincial regulations and test the procedures in place for enforcement staff. The Province has provided training to provincial and federal enforcement staff around BCs ban on live and dead Zebra and Quagga mussels, including CBSA officers and Fisheries Officers. The Department of Fisheries and Oceans has completed the draft of their Aquatic Invasive Species regulation and plans to have it to go to Gazette 1 in December, 2014. The Province has raised the need for this legislation to be implemented as recently as August 19, 2014, on the Canadian Council of Fisheries and Aquaculture Deputy Ministers Call. For 2014, the Province will have more than tripled the amount of Zebra and Quagga mussel monitoring. The Province is working with the western provinces by closely coordinating programs that span across provincial boundaries to reduce the risk of mussel introduction.