Conservation K-9 Hilo and his handler Cindy Sawchuck inspect a watercraft. Alberta government photo
The Alberta government plans to invest more than $18 million to defend the province against dangerous aquatic invasive species.
If passed, Budget 2025 will invest $18.2 million over five years to expand Alberta’s aquatic invasive species inspection, detection and rapid response programs.
“Our province is doing more to fight these invasive species than anywhere else in Canada,” Environment and Protected Areas Minister Rebecca Schulz said in a news release. “These additional inspection stations and K-9 inspection dogs will help us step up protections across Alberta, and we will be announcing even more right before boating season.”
Alberta is 100 per cent free from zebra mussels, quagga mussels and other aquatic invasive species at present, but reports continue increasing in provinces and states across North America.
These species can wreak havoc on waterways and ruin infrastructure, destroy habitats and cause hundreds of millions in damages.
“We must keep Alberta 100 per cent invasive mussel free,” said Grant Hunter, chair of the Provincial Aquatic Invasive Species Task Force and MLA for Taber-Warner. “That’s why our province will be continuing to step up our fight to stop the spread of aquatic invasive species that threaten our waterways and livelihoods.”
Last year, Alberta established the highest fines in North America, launched the Provincial Aquatic Invasive Species Task Force, expanded inspection stations and inspectors, and advocated to the federal government for increased action.
More than 13,000 boats and watercrafts entering the province were inspected, the most since 2019.
The new funding will expand the existing program by increasing the number of inspection stations to 11, tripling the number of K-9 conservation dog and handler teams, and optimizing decontamination stations in Lethbridge and Calgary.
The province will also fund a dip tank decontamination pilot project and 14 mobile decontamination systems to improve rapid response.
