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By Liam Verster

Call to Action

Local organization demands action on invasive weed risks

Jun 26, 2025 | 6:00 AM

A local organization is demanding an agency be formed to address invasive weeds and reduce their impacts on various sectors in the North Okanagan.

The North Okanagan Naturalists Club (NONC) says the region is one of only two jurisdictions in B.C. without a central organization or mechanism to address the spread of invasive plants.

“Invasive weeds in British Columbia are estimated to cost the province over $2-billion annually in losses, including impacts on regionally significant sectors such as agriculture, forestry and tourism,” the Club said in a release.

“Invasive weeds proliferate in our region on both public and private land, including federal DND lands, municipal highways, city and regional parks and other areas. Our region acts as an ‘incubator” for invasive weed spread, to the frustration of residents and of neighbouring regions.”

The Club stated residents, environmental and outdoor recreation groups, and invasive species experts from nearby jurisdictions “have been sounding the alarm for years,” but there remains nobody overseeing invasive weed species and its potential spread in the North Okanagan.

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The NONC asked the public to contact representatives from all levels of government, be it municipal, provincial, First Nation and federal, and “demand they take action on this out-of-control situation.”