The Ontario government announced today that it is investing $16 million over three years to protect the economy and environment from the threat of invasive species. The grant funding will help municipalities, conservation authorities and Indigenous communities stop invasive species from establishing or spreading in the province.
“Invasive species are one of the main threats to biodiversity in Ontario and they also have a negative impact on our economy,” said Graydon Smith, Minister of Natural Resources. “This investment is the latest step our government is taking to protect Ontario’s critical industries as well as our natural environment to ensure we can continue to enjoy the natural beauty in our province.”
The funding will be administered by the Invasive Species Centre and Nature Conservancy of Canada to support a comprehensive, Ontario-wide plan to fight the invasive plant Phragmites, and for the Invasive Species Action Fund to provide grants to municipalities, conservation authorities and Indigenous communities to manage other harmful invasive species.
In 2019, the Invasive Species Centre estimated that the potential impacts of invasive species to agricultural, fisheries, forestry, health care, tourism and the recreation industry may be as high as $3.6 billion per year in Ontario.
According to the release, to further prevent the introduction and spread of invasive species in the province, Ontario recently added 10 new non-native species and four general (groups of species) under the Invasive Species Act, 2015 and is renewing the Ontario Invasive Species Strategic Plan to ensure the most robust plan possible is in place.
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Heck, if they could pay me the same money I’m making now I would love to fight invasive species every day and actually get something done instead of talk about it like they love to do
I have a large pond which have phragmits around it and like to get rid of it.
Good to see the money directed towards this problem. However, how do you account for the numbers? How much ot costs the economy, how you are going to eradicate the problem or, is this going to be another make work project with no accountability.
The adjacent undeveloped lot next to mine has hundreds of phragmites all of which are seeding my property. I live on wet land right next to lake Dalrymple. I started early September 2023 with request for help from City of Kawartha Lakes bylaw department. I filled out a form and opened a case # ML 20231916. They looked at the property and basically told me they had other things to take care of. I have made numerous, numerous calls. It all falls on deaf ears. It seems to me that even tho the city makes a bylaw regarding having overgrown weeds on your property they could care less. Several times a week I now have to fight the phragmites that have spread to my property because people do not care about the environment especially our lakes.
I have large 6 pond wetland on farm. No phragmites after 18 years. Have contacted
ERCA. Told would get back! Not happening.
Contacted Invasive Species Centre. They past my contact on! No Response! Have pesticide free strategy that has worked! Seems multiple areas want financing but not interested in.proven
strategy to combat Phragmites. I invite anyone to come and see for yourself!
I believe that although this is a move in the right direction, some of this funding should be made available to individuals as well through a simplified application process because some instances of invasive species can be dealt with on a small scale before they become a huge problem.
Chinese Knotweed is certainly an example of how quickly things get out of control.
One need only travel through upper New York state to see the evidence of that with whole valley/stream ecosystems irreparably destroyed by knotweed.