Contributions will support habitat restoration work, ecological connectivity, engagement of Indigenous communities, and access to greenspace for Canadians in Ontario
Protecting nature is vital to the health and well-being of Canadians, to reverse biodiversity loss, and to fight climate change. That's why the Government of Canada launched the greatest nature conservation campaign in Canada's history, with a goal of protecting thirty percent of Canada's lands and waters by 2030. Protected lands help to guarantee future generations can enjoy the benefits that natural greenspaces provide to their communities.
Today, the Honourable Steven Guilbeault, Minister of Environment and Climate Change and Minister responsible for Parks Canada, announced over $8 million to protect and enhance three critical natural spaces in Ontario. These include:
· More than $3.5 million for the Cootes to Escarpment EcoPark System. This developing greenspace stretches from the Western edge of Lake Ontario to the Niagara Escarpment. This pilot project, under the Parks Canada National Program for Ecological Corridors, will support the Royal Botanical Gardens of Burlington and Hamilton, Ontario and their partners to protect 2,200 hectares of land, to connect wildlife across a very urbanized landscape.
· More than $1.05M to better connect The Meadoway to Rouge National Urban Park with new and improved multi-use trails. The Meadoway, led by the Toronto and Region Conservation Authority (TRCA), is transforming a hydro corridor in Scarborough into a vibrant 16-kilometre stretch of urban greenspace and meadow habitat that will allow Canadians to travel, in nature, from the heart of downtown Toronto to Rouge National Urban Park via a safe, accessible, and naturalized multi-use trail network.
· $3.5 million through Nature Conservancy Canada to protect more habitat in areas within Ontario that have rich biodiversity like the Rice Lake Plains, the north shore of Lake Ontario and the Frontenac Arch Biosphere, one of Canada's most important forest corridors that connects the northern forests of Algonquin Park with the Adirondack Mountains of New York State.
· The minister also announced $50,000 for the Algonquin to Adirondacks Collaborative, to support a road ecology study to determine wildlife protective measures around Ontario's busy roadways.
The Government of Canada will continue to work with provinces, territories, municipalities, conservation groups and Indigenous communities to expand the network of protected areas in Canada and ensure Canadians can benefit from the advantages of these protected greenspaces.
