Noxious Weeds
The Weed Control Act helps reduce the impact of noxious weeds. Noxious weeds are plants that injure agricultural and/or horticultural crops, natural habitats or ecosystems, humans or livestock.
The Act does not include lawns, gardens or other private areas far enough away from land used for agricultural or horticultural purposes.
Noxious weeds can be destroyed by
- Pulling/removing plants from soil
- Cutting roots or stalks of plants before seeds have developed enough to ripen after cutting
- Plowing or cultivating the soil the plants are growing in
- Treating plants with a herbicide that destroys them or prevents their growth/seed ripening
Noxious weed species
The act defines the following plant species as noxious weeds:
- Black Dog-Strangling Vine
- Bull Thistle
- Canadian Thistle
- Coltsfoot
- Common Barberry
- Common Crupina
- Cypress Spurge
- Dodder
- Dog-Strangling Vine
- European Buckthorn
- Giant Hogweed
- Jointed Goatgrass
- Knapweed
- Kudzu
- Leafy Spurge
- Poison Hemlock
- Poison Ivy
- Ragweed
- Serrated Tussock
- Smooth Bedstraw
- Sow Thistle
- Tansy Ragwort
- Wild Chervil
- Wild Parsnip
- Wolly Cupgrass
For images and information on these weeds and the best ways to eliminate them, see the Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs' noxious weeds information page.