The federal government announced just over $200,000 in funding towards restoration of fish and wildlife habitat in the Toronto Region Area of Concern on April 22 (Earth Day).
At press time, three common tern nesting rafts were constructed and deployed at Tommy Thompson Park and Toronto Islands, and a custom beaver baffle was designed to mitigate damming activity. The Toronto and Region Conservation Authority project will also monitor the fish community, protect turtle nests, manage phragmites, and promote community engagement as part of the project.
The work will further advance restoration efforts in the Toronto and Region Area of Concern, an area which extends along the north shore of Lake Ontario from Etobicoke Creek in the west to the Rouge River in the east. This 2,000-square-kilometre area includes six watersheds and 42 kilometres of waterfront, spanning 11 municipal jurisdictions with more than three-million residents.
The project was one of 32 totalling $3.1 million over three years, under the Great Lakes Protection Initiative announced by the minister of Environment and Climate Change in December 2021. These proj- ects will advance priorities in the Great Lakes, such as restoring Areas of Concern, preventing toxic and nuisance algae, and enhancing engagement with Indigenous Peoples and the public.
Through the Great Lakes Protection Initiative, the Government of Canada funds projects at the local level to restore water quality and ecosystem health in the basin’s most degraded sites, known as Areas of Concern.
