Critical Pest Infestation

The purpose of the Critical Pest Infestation plan is to outline how all levels of government will respond to a critical pest infestation posing a serious threat to agricultural or forest resources in Alberta. The plan deals with an extraordinary pest infestation that threatens plant life in the agriculture and forestry sectors. The infestation must require urgent attention and be beyond the capability of a single department or level of government to manage within normal operations.

Situations covered by this plan include a plant pest infestation which cannot be controlled by a single provincial or federal department; when a pest of critical importance is threatening to enter or has already entered the province; when government response actions impact the agricultural or forestry sectors significantly; and when response measures create major hardships for crop or forestry producers.

The Critical Pest Technical Committee, with provincial and federal representatives from forestry, agricultural, and environmental departments, will meet when a threat is first identified. The Critical Pest Management Council, consisting of Deputy Ministers of all involved departments, will then meet to determine the magnitude of the threat, design the necessary response, and implement the measures necessary to counter the threat. The Council may recommend action such as Ministerial Orders, area quarantine, or other restrictions necessary to control the infestation. Once the Council has issued the necessary direction, an Operations Team of selected department representatives and technicians will gather in the GEOC to manage the incident response.

Agencies involved could include provincial and federal departments mandated for agricultural and forestry matters, affected municipalities, affected producers, or industry.