Ontario Improving Wetlands in Chatham-Kent
Province partnering with Lower Thames Valley Conservation Authority to protect local wetlands.
NEWS
May 22, 2024
Chatham-Kent/Lake Erie — The Ontario government is investing $125,000 in a Lower Thames Valley Conservation Authority project to enhance wetlands in Lake Erie. The project is among many wetlands projects across Ontario that are collectively receiving up to $11 million from the Wetland Conservation Partner Program this year.
“Our government’s investment of over $30 million in the Wetlands Conservation Partner Program underscores our commitment to protecting and enhancing Ontario’s diverse wetlands ecosystems,” said MPP Trevor Jones, Chatham-Kent-Leamington. “By supporting a wide range of projects – from large-scale restorations to urban stormwater management – we are ensuring these vital natural resources are preserved for future generations.”
The Wetlands Conservation Partner Program is one of the largest investments in wetland enhancement and restoration in the province’s history. Over the past five years, Ontario has invested over $30 million to support a wide range of projects, 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.
Local wetland enhancement projects include:
Working with 15 small wetland projects that will assist private landowners to restore and/or enhance wetlands on their properties and support additional upland habitat associated with the Wetlands in the Lake Erie watershed.
“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.
QUICK FACTS
- 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 stormwater management.
- $125,000 in funding to support LTVCA – Landowner Wetland Restorations and Enhancements for Lake Erie watershed.
ADDITIONAL RESOURCES
Nammar Cristofari
Executive Assistant
MPP Trevor Jones
Chatham-Kent-Leamington
Nammar.cristofari@pc.ola.org