Province fighting invasive species

The Ontario government is acting to combat invasive species in the province.

Animals like asian carp pose serious ecological threats to the environment. Today natural resources minister David Orazietti announced the Invasive Species Act. If passed, the legislation would position Ontario as the first and only jurisdiction in Canada to introduce standalone exotics legislation.

“It would provide a strong legislative framework to better prevent, detect, rapidly respond to and eradicate invasive species. It would help by providing powers to intervene earlier and lead to significant environmental and economic cost reductions for Ontarians.”

Last year environmental commissioner Gord Miller noted there’s no funding or plan to deal with species like asian carp. Globally, invasive species are estimated to cost around $1.4 trillion — seven times the cost of natural disasters.