Weed Control Act
The Weed Control Act has a great history in Alberta and has been proclaimed in one version or another for over a century (initially in 1907). First established to limit the effects of Canada Thistles on agricultural land, and then as time went on and increasingly weeds started to become a problem, the focus was expanded.
The current Weed Control Act was updated in 2010 and has a total of 48 Prohibited Noxious weeds and 30 Noxious weeds. In the Act, municipalities have the authority to elevate weeds to either noxious or prohibited noxious based on local needs. For this reason, the County of Newell has elevated scentless chamomile, leafy spurge, and dodder to the prohibited noxious category, and have elevated common burdock, common milkweed, and showy milkweed to the noxious category.
Click here for more information on Prohibited Noxious and Noxious weeds.