Ontario is investing $1 million in the Invasive Species Centre and Nature Conservancy of Canada to help combat destructive invasive species in the province.
Parry Sound-Muskoka MPP Graydon Smith, who also serves as the Minister of Natural Resources and Forestry, was in Port Sydney Thursday with Colin Cassin, Policy and Program Development Director for the Invasive Species Centre, and Eric Cleland, Director of the Invasive Species Program with the Nature Conservancy of Canada. He was given a demonstration of how a CD3 mobile decontamination unit works.
The funding will be split between the two organizations: $750,000 is going to the Invasive Species Centre and $250,000 to the Nature Conservancy of Canada.
“By investing in these trusted partners, the Ontario government is helping to prevent, detect and respond to the threats of invasive species,” said Smith. “I would like to thank our partners for their continued efforts and dedication to preventing and reducing the ecological and economic harm caused by invasive species in Ontario.”
According to Smith, half of the funding will be used to implement a comprehensive Ontario-wide plan to fight invasive phragmites. He explains it’s an aggressive plant that spreads quickly by releasing toxins from its roots into the soil to slow down the growth of nearby plants.
The plan will be developed by Green Shovels Collaborative and involve public consultation.
Smith says the remaining money will be used to support projects led by community partners that work on combatting invasive species.
According to him, it’s estimated that invasive species cost the province $3.6 billion every year. Further to that, phragmites are a “leading threat” to 25 percent of species at risk in Ontario. On top of that, Smith says they reduce property values, deter recreation and tourism, and increases highway and drain maintenance.