Proposed changes to Saskatchewan’s weed control laws are slowly making their way through the legislative process.
The Weed Control Act was introduced last November but still has not made it to the committee stage. The act would replace the Noxious Weeds Act of 1984.
Agriculture minister Bob Bjornerud has said the update is long overdue because farmers deal with weeds differently than they used to by focusing on early detection and eradication.
The new legislation categorizes weeds into three classes: prohibited, noxious and nuisance.
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It proposes increasing the fines for violating the act and the amount of money rural municipalities can recover when they have to enforce the act.
During debate last week, opposition MLA Ron Harper said farmers generally do a good job of making sure their land stays as weed-free as possible.
“But we certainly do need to ensure that we have a regimental process in place that will allow farmers the opportunity to be able to control their weeds and be able to ensure that the land stays free and clear,” he said.
However, Harper said he wasn’t sure if stakeholders had been consulted about the changes.
His colleague, Doyle Vermette, from the northern riding of Cumberland, also said he wanted to make sure consultation takes place.
He adjourned the April 20 debate.
