Ragweed is under attack in Ottawa-Gatineau now that a Gatineau councillor has declared a weekend war on the plant and an Ottawa research centre is trying out a new drug that could dull its effects.

Patrice Martin, the councillor for Wright-Parc-de-la-Montagne ward, said he will supply volunteers with free gloves and bags on Saturday so they can pull the plant out by its roots.

"It's all over the place," said Martin, who said he doesn't want the noxious plant to grow and spread in his ward.

"We're going to be pulling out a lot of plants and I'm hoping it'll make a difference in the quality of life of people in my neighbourhood," he said.

That's a controversial move, however, because although the plant will be removed, some scientists say its seeds will be dispersed through the air.

Dan Brunton, a field naturalist, said he doesn't think pulling ragweed will make it go away.

"Hand pulling them will work for a minute or two, but is it really an effective use of your time and energy?" he said.

Brunton said he would compare the effectiveness of pulling ragweed to holding an umbrella over a group of people during a rainstorm.

Another project looming

If that project doesn't cull the weed, the Ottawa Allergy Research Corporation said it has another project for ragweed-fearing volunteers.

Linda Fisher, the manager of clinical research at the centre, said more than 600 people have volunteered to test a new drug to see how it affects ragweed allergies.

"The people that do come in have been suffering for a lot of years," said Fisher.

"What they've been using hasn't been working. This group in now is very keen to get relief."

Fisher said the drug could allow the plants to live while it kills the allergies they cause, but it still won't be available for at least a decade.