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CBC
10 hours ago
- Health
- CBC
Beware of giant hogweed, officials say as battle to kill dangerous weed drags on
One of Ontario's most dangerous invasive weeds is spreading across southwestern Ontario, prompting a warning from a local conservation authority and extending an on-the-ground battle to destroy it. The Upper Thames River Conservation Authority (UTRCA) said it's spent more than 120 hours so far this year fighting the spread of giant hogweed — a large invasive plant that has a sap known to cause reactions ranging from mild to severe. "It ranges from a mild rash on your skin to heavy purple blotches and really severe blistering. In the most severe cases we've heard about ... it can cause temporary blindness," said Brandon Williamson, the land management coordinator for the UTRCA. Officials have been patrolling the upper Thames watershed, looking for the telltale signs of the dangerous weed and seeking to destroy it. The plant has been in the area for roughly 15 years, but its coverage is expanding. What to watch out for (and avoid) According to Williamson, giant hogweed is hard to miss. In its first phase of growth, it has a large, thick stalk with coarse hairs and purple blotching, "like somebody dipped a paintbrush in a can of purple paint and splattered it on the stem," Williamson said. The plant grows large sugar maple-like leaves. In its second growth phase, a flower blooms that appear similar to a Queen Anne's lace, Williamson said. A mature plant can grow more than five metres tall. "That massive plant puts out [as many as] 50,000 seeds annually, depending on the size." Anyone who touches the plant is advised to immediately wash their hands and monitor the body part that touched the plant. Williamson said since the poisonous sap reacts to sunlight, it's best to stay out of the sun. "Wear long pants and long sleeves if you're going to be going to areas where the plant appears, especially if you're going to be wading through long vegetation and grasses." Williamson said the weed is most commonly found along waterways, making anglers, kayakers and canoeists especially prone to running into it, and that hikers also need to watch out for the plant. That's something the Thames Valley Trail Association (TVTA) knows all too well. Volunteers with the association that maintains over 100 kilometres of trail in the London area have been having their own battle with giant hogweed for years. "It's been progressing, I would say, in the last five years for sure," said Tilman Joosten, a TVTA board member. "It was in the watershed, north of our trail, and it's slowly working its way down." Joosten said the trails that run near Highway 7 in St. Mary's are a particular problem spot. For their part, Joosten said the TVTA has been in close contact with conservation officials and has spent hours spraying herbicide on giant hogweed plants along the sides of their trails to keep the weed at bay. The TVTA also works to educate members and new hikers about the dangers of the plant and is planning to post signs at trailheads of known problem spots. Property owners responsible, too It's also possible for giant hogweed to appear on private property in the City of London, and property owners are required to dispose of it. "Whenever we hear about a giant hogweed, we do take that as a priority concern," said Orest Katolyk, London's top bylaw official. If a property owner fails to remove the plant, city officials will do it themselves and charge the property owner for the service. To remove any prohibited plant from your property, Emily Williamson, London's environmental planning manager, suggests knowing what plant you're dealing with. "In terms of giant hogweed, ensure that you're wearing gloves and a long sleeve shirt," she said. "It's important that all of the plant material is bagged and that, ideally, any of this removal is done before the plant goes into flower to ensure no seeds are spread into the surrounding area."
Hamilton Spectator
02-05-2025
- Politics
- Hamilton Spectator
Biologist warns proposed provincial changes will erode conservation efforts
For the first time in likely a century, the endangered spiny softshell turtle population increased in 2024 along the Thames River, largely due to the efforts of conservationists like Scott Gillingwater. Gillingwater, species at risk biologist for the Upper Thames River Conservation Authority (UTRCA), told the Times that last year the Southern Ontario at Risk Reptiles (SOARR) program hatched and released more than 10,000 native turtles into the region. To put that number into context, it's estimated that there are between 2,000 and 2,500 adults in Canada. Although that is a huge amount released locally, Gillingwater clarified that only 0.1 to five per cent will survive to maturity. The program also located, assessed, and protected dozens of endangered turtles and snakes, built new nesting, basking, foraging, and cover habitats, and installed roadside fencing to reduce reptile mortality, among other conservation efforts. Gillingwater said that the population has not reached the same level that it was at when he started at the UTRCA 32 years ago and there is much more still to do; however, recent provincial legislative changes has him worried about the prospects of native turtles and all native animals at large. On April 17, the Province of Ontario introduced the Protect Ontario by Unleashing Our Economy Act, legislation that would 'cut the red tape and duplicative processes that have held back major infrastructure, mining and resource development projects,' according to a news release. 'The days of making proponents wait years for approvals and permits are over,' Todd McCarthy, Minister of the Environment, Conservation and Parks, said in that same release. 'We can and will build the Ontario of tomorrow in a way that protects the environment and protects jobs.' While the legislation focuses on energy and mine development, it would also make amendments to the Endangered Species Act (once touted as the 'gold standard' of conservation legislation) and eventually would repeal and replace it altogether with the Species Conservation Act. In its proposal, the Ministry of the Environment, Conservation and Parks said that the Endangered Species Act makes the permit process 'slow and complex, causing unnecessary delays and costs for housing, transit, and critical infrastructure.' Chiefly, the new legislation to replace it would give the government the ability to use its own discretion to add endangered and threatened species to the protected list (and could also remove species from the list) and it would redefine protections and the habitats of animal species. No longer would the avenues species use to migrate, look for food, and winter be protected under the new act, rather only their den would be protected. 'That makes it very difficult for protection of areas where these animals are traveling to move between summer and winter sites where they're feeding,' Gillingwater said. 'And also, we are still studying these species to fully understand them, and this habitat will be lost before we can say where these animals are, where these animals need to be in five years, 10 years, 100 years, due to changes in the environment. … There're so many concerns about how this act is being currently set out. 'We once had the gold standard for species protection in Ontario and that legislation has continuously been amended and weakened and had the teeth taken out of it,' Gillingwater went on to say. '… What we need now – under the current state of our affairs, with our world, with our climate – is better species protection. And that goes for not only species at risk, but all of our wildlife and wild spaces in general. And it's quite surprising that in this day and age that we are taking steps back. We are losing decades of progress by weakening these types of legislation.' The Species Conservation Act would also create a new program to support voluntary activities that will assist in conservation and would increase investment into conservation, up to $20 million a year. As Gillingwater said, he does not believe that is commiserate to the erosion of species protections. 'We need more protection for these species, not less, not weakening of legislation, and we need more funding to do this work,' Gillingwater said. 'So that amount of funding should have been put forward without reducing protections to species at risk. Sure, additional funding is great, but if you're reducing protections you're going to need far more, tenfold more, than what is being presented.' When asked if he has hope for 2025 and beyond, Gillingwater said he has been working in the region for 32 years, since the mid-90s, and he's seen it all. Throughout that time, he has identified as either an optimistic pessimist or a pessimistic optimist. 'I will say that the pessimism it starting to creep up a little higher than my optimism,' Gillingwater said. 'I still have hope.' The consultation period for the proposed Species Conservation Act, where residents can submit a comment to the province, ends on May 17. Residents can find more information here: .
CBC
20-03-2025
- Business
- CBC
London-area conservation authority hones in on 'Buy Canadian' movement
Social Sharing Buying local and Canadian may be a good way to show support for Canada in the face of U.S. President Donald Trump's tariff and annexation threats, but it's also just good for the environment, one London-area conversation authority says. Next week, Upper Thames River Conservation Authority's (UTRCA) board of directors will discuss changing the agency's purchasing policies to encourage staff to choose local when contracting goods and services. "The UTRCA prefers local supply," the recommendation reads. "Being an environmental organization, it's been part of our normal practice and our purchasing regulations to look locally," said Tracy Annett, UTRCA's general manager. Shorter delivery distances means a reduced environmental impact. But as the Canadian economy braces for U.S. tariffs, and reciprocal Canadian tariffs, emphasizing that local sourcing strategy has taken on a whole new importance. "We have a number of member municipalities in our watershed. Almost all are councillors that sit around our boardroom table to make these decisions, and all are hearing these same concerns about how we can reduce the impacts of tariffs," she said. UTRCA tries to source local or Canadian as much as possible, but some things can only be purchased, for now, from the U.S, said Teresa Hollingsworth, UTRCA's manager of community and corporate services. "The kinds of things that we have trouble sourcing are things like stream flow or monitoring equipment … If we need parts or repairs, we still would be forced to get those from the U.S.," she said. New locally developed website identifies Canadian-made products by bar code 6 days ago Duration 9:13 Local developer Sourabh Banerjee has launched a website that can help you shop Canadian. Hollingsworth said UTRCA's expenditure budget covers everything from campground supplies, water and wildlife monitoring tools, and flood control, office and IT equipment. "Our purpose really is to make sure our staff is always thinking about 'if we can get this local, we need to buy local.'" In discussions, UTRCA will be reflecting on: What constitutes local and Canadian, and would such a directive preclude sourcing from other countries? A memo going before the meeting notes interprovincial trade barriers may also make Canadian procurement more challenging. Local sourcing a topic at other conservation authorities Other local conservation authorities are looking at their own procurement. St. Clair Region Conservation Authority hasn't brought the issue to its board, but has been looking internally at where its suppliers are from, its general manager said. "We're looking at replacing some of our lawn mowing equipment," said Ken Phillips. "Where does that come from? Do we need to expedite the process to maintain that we can avoid tariffs?" The U.S. has imposed 25 per cent tariffs on all Canadian steel and aluminum imports, prompting Canada to expand retaliatory tariffs. More U.S. tariffs are set to come on April 2. "While we haven't officially gone to the board with a proposal yet to look at purchasing, it might be something we look at doing in one of the next couple board meetings," Phillips said. Conservation Ontario, which represents conservation authorities, has provided some guidance around the issue, he said. A spokesperson for the organization was not available Wednesday. Mark Peacock, the CAO and secretary-treasurer of the Lower Thames River Conservation Authority (LTRCA), echoed the others on the lack of Canadian firms producing water quality monitors, and things like office software. LTRCA doesn't have a "buy Canadian" provision in its policy, but Peacock said a vast majority of its contracts are already for Canadian goods and services, many from local suppliers. "We do most of our work with local communities, things like planting trees, building wetlands," he said. "Almost everything we buy in doing that work is local. It's from local nurseries. It's local contractors doing that work." "We plant like 100,000 trees a year. We have to have a local source. We also need trees that grow in this area." At nearby Catfish Creek Conservation Authority, its general manager Dusty Underhill, said supporting and buying local creates a positive economic cycle for the region. "We've always been firm believers in sourcing local," he said.
