One of the province's oldest pieces of legislation could be seeing some changes.

The Manitoba government has introduced proposed amendments to strengthen the noxious weeds act which requires land owners and occupants to prevent the growth, ripening and spread of weeds and weed seeds, with municipal weed inspectors responsible for enforcement.  

"The proposed amendments would preserve the act's original objective of protecting the province from noxious weeds while ensuring it also reflects today," said Manitoba Agriculture, Food and Rural Development Minister Ron Kostyshyn.  "These changes would make it easier for the province to take quick action and deal with potential threats to agricultural and natural lands."

Proposed changes to the act include a tiered approach for noxious weed classification, the ability to designate new invasive weeds for a period of one year, and adjusting provisions that would allow municipalities to recoup expenses on non-municipal land.

"Controlling the spread of noxious weeds is an area of shared concern for municipalities and the province," said Doug Dobrowolski, president, Association of Manitoba Municipalities.  "AMM supports amendments to the act that would enhance co-ordination and allow municipalities to recoup some of the costs of controlling noxious weeds."

If municipalities fail to enforce the act, the Manitoba government would assume responsibility for weed control programs and charge any costs back to the municipality.  

The proposed change would allow the province to issue a lower-cost fine to a municipal government for less serious issues.

Controlling noxious weeds is exempt from the non-essential pesticide use regulation which came into effect on May 1, if the pesticide is applied by, or under the authority of, a municipal weed inspector or supervisor.