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Re: Importing Aquatic Plants Into Canada



Trust the government to scrap one set of cumbersone and expensive procedures
only to replace it with an even more complicated
procedure.......sheesh.....don't bureaucrats have something better to do,
like take a coffee break???

As I posted yesterday, the requirement for Phytosanitary Certificates and
Import Permits before aquatic plants can legally be imported into Canada
from the U.S. has been scrapped. The main reason cited was lack of resources
to cope with the volume of trade between our two countries.

However, government being government means that the ball was merely kicked
into another Department's playgound, with another set of bureaucrats eager
to devise forms and fill out paperwork (in triplicate, of course) and
develop policies and procedures. I'm not cynical - I was just a civil
servant for too long.

Aquatic plant importation into Canada is now under the control of
Environment Canada, and according to what they just told me, there are
numerous forms to fill out and "consultations" and "meetings" (their quotes)
to be held with their "experts" (again, their quotes) prior to bringing
aquatic plants across the border through the mails or via courier. [This is
the LEGAL way to do it, we have all gone the other route, and no bloody
wonder!]

It seems that they consider aquatic plants as "new substances" and they must
be controlled. I have yet to determine how long each individual species
and/or variety of aquatic plant will be considered "new" and whether if I
have something "screened" it would allow all future importations of the same
species/variety in without the hassle or if this is going to an "every order
is new" sort of thing.

Plastic plants are starting to look awfully attractive........

James Purchase
Toronto