Province to invest millions to improve Brampton’s wetlands, build new viewing platforms
Published March 4, 2024 at 2:22 pm
The Ontario government will invest over $2.5 million into a Brampton-led project that will improve some of the city’s wetlands, plant new trees and vegetation, and create viewing platforms for residents to use.
The Etobicoke Creek Wetlands Enhancement Project aims to improve and maintain the wetland areas in four locations of the Etobicoke Creek watershed in and around Brampton’s Loafers Lake and Conservation Drive Park.
The city is expected to use the funding to plant 6,500 native trees and other vegetation, manage invasive species, improve shoreline habitat, and install rocky shoals and log piles in the water to support turtles and fish habitat.
Plans also include building new viewing platforms at Loafers Lake to help residents view the wetland habitats without disturbing them.
Brampton mayor Patrick Brown called it an “incredible investment.”
“Investing in the restoration and preservation of wetlands is an investment in the future of our city, ensuring the protection of countless species, like the fish and turtles that call Loafer’s Lake home,” said Brown.
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The mayor thanked Brampton North MPP Graham MacGregor for his work on the project.
“One of my favourite things about Loafer’s Lake is that we built our neighbourhood around the nature. I have fond childhood memories of sitting on the hill and walking around the pond and those are memories I cherish,” said MacGregor.
“Thanks to our government and the leadership of Minister Khanjin, we are giving Loafer’s Lake the love and appreciation it deserves so my generation and future generations can continue to enjoy it.”
The Etobicoke Creek Wetlands Enhancement Project is led by the City of Brampton in partnership with the Toronto and Region Conservation Authority.
The funding comes as part of the province’s Wetlands Conservation Partner Program, founded in 2020 with the goal of providing $30 million in capital funding over five years to restore and enhance wetlands in priority areas across Ontario.
The province says in the first two years of the program, an estimated $6 million of damage due to flooding has been avoided and over 170 green jobs were created in Ontario’s rural and near-urban communities to undertake restoration work.
“Wetlands are incredibly important to our communities. They make up the natural infrastructure that protect us from drought and flooding, while keeping water clean and providing homes for many at-risk species of plants and animals,” said Andrea Khanjin, Minister of the Environment, Conservation and Parks.
“Working with partners like the City of Brampton and conservation organizations, our government has supported the restoration and enhancement of an estimated 7,500 acres of wetlands in the first three years of the program – that’s about eight times the size of the Toronto Islands.”
Photo courtesy of the City of Brampton
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