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CTV News
15 minutes ago
- CTV News
Calls for more milkweed, international conservation plan as monarch butterfly population dwindles
As Monarch butterflies prepare for their big migration, CTV's Alexandra Holyk shares tips to help the endangered species. Loading the player instance is taking more time than usual Loading the player instance is taking more time than usual Monarch butterflies will soon make their annual migration to Mexico but, before they take off on the 4,000-kilometre trek, some are spending their days at pollinator garden in Stratford, Ont. 'The butterflies that you see throughout the summer are here to basically enjoy their summer vacation,' explained Barb Hacking, a monarch butterfly enthusiast. 'The monarchs that we're seeing now, the eggs that are being laid now, are what we call the super generation. They're going to be slightly bigger.' She has raised monarch butterflies for over 40 years, first as a teacher and now as one of the facilitators of the Ted Blowes Memorial Pollinator Peace Garden. Hacking works alongside her 89-year-old gardening partner, Bernie Van Herk, who got involved in the project around five years ago. Together they collect monarch eggs found on milkweed leaves in the garden. 'We protect them until they're butterflies simply because many of the eggs will get eaten or the caterpillars get eaten,' Hacking explained. monarch butterfly summer stratford ontario migration flower A monarch butterfly perched on a flower in Stratford, Ont. on Aug. 13, 2025. (Alexandra Holyk/CTV News) The pair then brings the butterflies back to the garden where they release them. They also help educate others on the endangered species. 'It's amazing what they do,' Van Herk said of the butterflies. 'I like it because it makes people happy.' The population of monarch butterflies, however, is dwindling. 'The monarch population has declined significantly over the past 25 to 30 years,' explained Tyler Flockhart, a former post-doctoral fellow at the University of Guelph. monarch butterfly summer stratford ontario migration flower Miya, 9, and Aliyah, 8, at Stratford's Ted Blowes Memorial Pollinator Peace Garden on Aug. 13, 2025. (Alexandra Holyk/CTV News) He said the driving factor for the drop is habitat loss and, specifically, the eradication of common milkweed plants. Milkweed is the only plant monarch butterflies will lay their eggs on. Ontario removed it from its 'noxious weeds' list in 2014, allowing public and private gardeners to freely plant milkweed. A new research study by Flockhart and Ryan Norris, a professor at the University of Guelph, suggests a collaborative conservation plan between Canada, the United States and Mexico. 'The conservation of this species is really a shared effort between the three countries because monarchs move between these three countries over the annual cycle,' Flockhart said. The study also recommends investing $150 million USD, over a five-year period, towards restoration efforts. The first four years, or $120 million USD, would go toward the U.S. Midwest, where monarch productivity tends to be the highest. 'Then, in the fifth year, you would actually allocate funds both in southern Ontario and the prairie provinces of Canada, as well as in Mexico, where the butterflies overwinter,' Flockhart explained. His hope is that millions of milkweed plants will result in millions of monarch butterflies. 'If you plant for them, they will come,' added Hacking. On the local level, both Hacking and Flockhart say the best thing people can do is plant milkweed in their gardens. Rearing and raising monarch butterflies For those looking to try their hand at raising monarch butterflies themselves, Hacking said important to create a habitat outdoors instead of bringing the eggs or caterpillars inside. 'It's not something that's recommended,' she added. 'It's a listed species in Canada, you actually aren't supposed to collect them,' Flockhart said. According to the Toronto Entomologists' Association, monarch and swallowtail butterflies are protected under the Ontario Fish and Wildlife Act. Therefore, those looking to rear more than one monarch or swallowtail caterpillar must get a permit from the Ontario Ministry of Natural Resources.
CTV News
an hour ago
- CTV News
Free legal service for victims of workplace sexual harassment launched in Sask.
The Public Legal Education Association (PLEA) of Saskatchewan has relaunched a program intended to help those experiencing sexual harassment in the workplace. The SHIFT Project connects individuals with free legal advice about workplace harassment to help explore their options. 'It gives people access to justice. And so it pairs the information component with the legal advice component, and it allows people to understand options, whether what they've actually experienced is workplace sexual harassment, what the law says about that, [and] what the options are,' said Tanya Clarke, manager of administration and office operations for PLEA. 'Just to empower people.' Those who access the service can receive up to four free hours of legal advice. While the services are open to anyone, the issue of sexual harassment in the workplace disproportionately affects women. According to PLEA, nearly 50 per cent of women report having experienced harassment in the workplace. 'It gives them information and empowers them to understand their situation and to give them options about how to move forward and they don't need to commit to moving forward to access the program. It's just an opportunity to understand the laws and the different options open to them,' said Clarke. The service is funded through the Legal Aid program, which stems from the federal Department of Justice. Funding has been allocated to keep the program running for a minimum of two years, until March of 2027.
CTV News
an hour ago
- CTV News
Emaciated huskies who spent ‘years on a tether' surrendered to B.C. SPCA
The B.C. SPCA shared these photos of two huskies recently surrendered to the charity. The B.C. SPCA is fundraising to help provide care to two huskies, surrendered to the organization after living most of their lives on a chain with limited access to food. The organization appealed for support Tuesday, describing the conditions the two dogs had been living in. 'For Zara and Zuke, the world was reduced to a worn patch of dirt at the end of a heavy chain. Day after day, they paced in tight circles, their paws tracing the same path. With limited food available, they grew thin and beneath their thick coats, their once-proud frames showed every rib and hip bone,' a post on the charity's website said. ''They had only known the shelter of a dilapidated doghouse which didn't adequately shield them from the summer heat or the winter cold.' The bonded pair were fearful at first, according to the B.C. SPCA, but have started to become more trusting and comfortable with people. Their care includes a 'careful refeeding plan' designed to help them gain weight safely so their 'bodies aren't shocked into failure,' the organization said. They will also have to slowly adapt to being leashed, given they spent 'years on a tether,' the charity noted. If the fundraising goal for the huskies is exceeded, donations will be reallocated to other animals who need emergency care.
