A regional district director is not impressed with the province’s response to calls to action on invasive mussel prevention in B.C.
The calls to action were contained in a letter from the Okanagan Basin Water Board (OBWB) to the Ministry of Water, Land and Resource Stewardship.
A response from the ministry was included at the Regional District Central Okanagan (RDCO) Board’s regular meeting on Jan. 24.
“I looked at that and I was very disappointed in it,” said Central Okanagan West regional director Wayne Carson. “I don’t think any of our calls to action have been taken seriously.”
The ministry letter addresses the eight calls to action individually and describes steps that have been taken or will be taken, by the province and other stakeholders.
“I don’t see any changes here,” Carson added. “It’s just words on paper.”
On Jan. 18, the OBWB sent a letter to B.C. MPs, MLAs, and the Assembly of First Nations warning that the federal government may be cutting funds that support invasive mussel inspections.
READ MORE: Okanagan water board fears funding cuts to Invasive Mussel Program
The OBWB is asking the province to commit to funding the Invasive Mussel Defence Program for no less than $4 million a year for at least 10 years.
A 2023 provincial report noted that an invasive mussel infestation would cost B.C. between $64 million and $129 million annually.
READ MORE: Results of invasive mussel report ‘deeply troubling’: Okanagan water board
The OBWB letter also wants Canada’s public safety minister to issue direction that all watercraft entering Canada at border crossing from Saskatchewan to B.C. be inspected for invasive mussels before entering the country.
The full letter can be read here.
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