Surrey council has passed a ban on all sales and distribution of invasive plant species.

While the city supports this amendment to the business license bylaw, council will still need to obtain provincial approval before beginning to implement changes. This will take about three to six months. 

Invasive species are non-native plants that can spread rapidly and out-compete native vegetation and potentially negatively impact the biodiversity and ecosystem. The report outlines that one of the main ways invasive species are introduced to the ecosystem are through retail sales of ornamental and aquatic plants. 

At the July 27 council meeting, Coun. Pardeep Kooner said “during this process, staff actually went to local greenhouses and nurseries and saw the sale of invasive species.” 

Implementation will be rolled out in phases with retailers being provided education when renewing their business license. If businesses do not comply, licenses can be revoked, suspended or refused. 

The report has an exhaustive list of identified invasive species, which includes english ivy, himalayan blackberry, blueberry and foxglove, among others. “Invasive species are a problem throughout our city and actually within our entire province. But the first step is to ban the sale of more invasive species,” said Kooner. 

Aquatic invasive species are a priority because of their impact on drainage systems and water quality.

The business license bylaw does not extend to private land. It also does not apply to non-commercial activity, like two people sharing plants with no business transaction. The city decided against enforcement on private property to avoid punitive measures and will instead focus on prevention education and voluntary removals. 

This ban will not apply to crops, food or plants grown and sold as agricultural crops or food products. It also won’t apply to dead plant material that is no longer viable or capable of propagation.

“This is not by all means the end of this but it is a first step to ensure that we can at least stop the sale and stop people from unknowingly purchasing invasive species,” said Kooner.