Province to spend $13M over 3 years to fight the invasive plant Phragmites

'Invasive species pose a serious threat to our environment and can have devastating impacts on community staples such as agriculture businesses and our parks and rivers'

Phragmites can grow to five metres, about 16 feet. Submitted photo.

The Ontario government says it will spend $16 million over three years to battle the threat of invasive species. The funding will help municipalities, conservation authorities and Indigenous communities help 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.

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.

See: Environmental group looking to use moths to fight invasive killer weed

And: Eradicating Phragmites is theme of Laurier Woods AGM

"Invasive species pose a serious threat to our environment and can have devastating impacts on community staples such as agriculture businesses and our parks and rivers,” said Dawn Gallagher, MPP, Newmarket-Aurora.

In 2019, the Invasive Species Centre estimated that the potential impacts of invasive species on agriculture, fisheries, forestry, health care, tourism, and the recreation industry may be as high as $3.6 billion per year in Ontario.

To further prevent the introduction and spread of invasive species in the province, Ontario recently added 10 new non-native species and four genera (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 in place.

The Invasive Species Act, 2015 currently lists 42 species, four groups, one family and two carriers. The Act provides legislative tools to prohibit and restrict certain invasive species, as well as carriers that facilitate the movement of invasive species.

Ontario has the highest number of invasive species in Canada. Once established, invasive species can harm the natural environment and are extremely difficult and costly to control or eradicate.