The Ontario government is investing $117,000 into 24 local conservation projects, led by the Ausable-Bayfield Conservation Authority.
“I am pleased to share that the Ausable-Bayfield Conservation Authority continues to demonstrate they facilitate important wetland projects that receive support and investment from our government,” said Lisa Thompson, MPP for Huron-Bruce.
The province is working with the Ausable-Bayfield Conservation Authority to capture surface water runoff and increase water storage capacity by shaping portions of the land, planting trees, shrubs and native wetland plants.
Thompson said these projects are among many wetland projects across Ontario that are collectively receiving up to $11 million from the Wetlands Conservation Partner Program this year.
According to a media release from Thompson, the Wetlands Conservation Partner Program is one of the largest investments in wetland enhancement and restoration in the province’s history, with over $30 million invested in the past five years.
That supported a wide range of projects, such as restoring and enhancing large-scale wetlands, smaller wetlands on marginal agricultural lands, and wetlands in more urban areas as part of municipal storm water management.
“Wetlands are incredibly important to our communities. They make up the natural infrastructure that protect us from drought and flooding, while keeping water clean and providing homes for many at-risk species of plants and animals,” said Andrea Khanjin, Minister of the Environment, Conservation and Parks. “Working with partners like municipalities and conservation organizations, our government has supported the restoration and enhancement of an estimated 7,500 acres of wetlands in the first three years of the program – that’s about eight times the size of the Toronto Islands.”
In the first two years of the program, an estimated $6 million of damage due to flooding has been avoided and over 170 green jobs were created in Ontario’s rural and near-urban communities to undertake restoration work.
In the first three years of the program, 18 organizations have received funding for 335 projects across the province.
An additional $1 million has recently been invested in wetland projects, resulting in a total investment of $31 million, which has taken place over five years and focuses on restoring and enhancing wetlands in the Great Lakes watersheds and supporting municipalities with storm water management.