CARLISLE — The Ontario government says they will invest $570,000 in the Halton Region Conservation Authority’s local conservation project to enhance wetlands in Carlisle. One of these projects will be working with Halton Region Conservation Authority to restore and enhance a project in the Carlisle Conservation Area that will create new floodplain wetlands in Bronte Creek.
This project is among many wetland projects across Ontario that are collectively receiving up to $11 million from the Wetlands Conservation Partner Program this year.
“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.”
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 Halton Region Conservation Authority to restore and enhance a project in the Carlisle Conservation Area that will create new floodplain wetlands in Bronte Creek. The project funding will allow for the planting of new trees and shrubs, managing invasive species and enhancing bank stability. The new landscape will also help reduce water temperature and increase habitat and spawning range for native and cold-water fish.
“I am thrilled that our government is investing in the restoration and enhancement project in Carlisle Conservation Area,” said Donna Skelly, Flamborough-Glanbrook MPP. “The Hamilton region is home to many beautiful conservation areas, and it is crucial that we protect them.”
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.