Outdoors projects get $3 million

Some 26 community-led outdoors projects will benefit from $3 million in provincial funding aimed at protecting the air, land, and water.

It’s the largest round of funding in the history of the Ontario Community Environment Fund, the Ministry of the Environment, Conservation, and Parks stated on July 28.

Penalties paid by polluters will fund shoreline cleanups, habitat restoration, and tree planting, for example.

“Our government is proud to support community-led projects that deliver real environmental benefits where people live, work and raise their families,” Minister Todd McCarthy stated. “Companies that break Ontario's environmental rules are held accountable for it, and by putting that money back to work, we can empower our local partners with the resources they need to support their communities, protect our shared environment, and ensure Ontario's natural spaces can be cherished for generations to come.”

Recipients named

• Invasive Species Centre – Hillman Marsh Invasive Species Response: Nearly $286,000 to eradicate invasive hydrilla in the Hillman Marsh in Leamington through treatment, monitoring and outreach.
• Manitoulin Streams Improvement Association – Mindemoya River Restoration: $120,000 to restore riverbanks and improve fish habitat along the Mindemoya River.
• Goderich to Guelph (G2G) Rail Trail – Invasive Species Removal and Native Planting: $25,000 to revitalize degraded trail sections of the G2G Rail Trail by removing invasive species and planting native vegetation.
• Freshwater Conservation Canada – Brook Trout Forever: More than $86,000 to restore habitat for native brook trout populations on Mono Centre Creek.

The fund has invested more than $6.74 million from environmental penalties into 134 projects across the province since 2010.

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