By: Christian Collington, Local Journalism Initiative Reporter, TheIFP.ca
Halton Hills council has unanimously endorsed a motion urging the province and the federal government to stop the sale and importation of invasive plants.
The motion, presented at the June 1 council meeting, notes that preventing invasive plants at the point of sale is more effective and more respectful of taxpayers than paying to remove them after they spread.
The motion explained that invasive species and their removal cost Ontario municipalities, on average, $218,148 annually with about 80 per cent of those costs going to the control and management, rather than prevention, of invasive species.
Coun. Chantal Garneau explained the motion is fundamentally about tackling the root cause rather than the symptoms.
She explained that it is “mind-boggling that we are spending so much money trying to clean up after choices that are made that could be prevented.”
Councillors described how invasive ornamentals still sold in garden centres, like certain groundcovers, spread into nearby natural areas, forming dense carpets that smother native vegetation and hamper forest regeneration.
Mayor Ann Lawlor highlighted the impact on Halton Hills taxpayers, noting that “there is a chunk of money in the Town of Halton Hills budget for 2026 for invasive species removal,” and that even with that funding “we’re just barely making a dent.”
The town has $30,000 budgeted this year for invasive species management. The town’s invasive species management framework includes forecasted spending increases of $50,000 for 2027 and 2028.
Lawlor added that the phragmites commonly seen at Fairy Lake in Acton comes from garden centres
“People bought them because those wispy tails are so beautiful,” she said. “Now they’re everywhere and they’re an absolute scourge.”
Coun. Jane Fogal summed up the local reality and said cleaning up invasive species has practically become a retirement project.
“People have asked me what I’m going to do in retirement and it’s removing invasive species,” she said. “It’s almost impossible to get it stopped.”
The motion calls on the province to:
Review and modernize the invasive plant regulatory framework under the Invasive Species Act.
Expand and regularly update the list of prohibited and restricted invasive plant species,
Prohibit the sale of listed invasive species by garden centres, nurseries, landscape suppliers, online retailers and seed distributors.
Work with the nursery and landscape sectors on a practical transition plan that protects small businesses while phasing out invasive stock and promoting better alternatives.
Because invasive plants easily cross borders, the motion also urges the federal government to review and strengthen import, border, labelling and online sales rules so federal policy supports, rather than undermines, Ontario’s prevention efforts.
The provincial government announced a commitment of $16 million over three years to support 112 community projects across the province to stop the spread of invasive species.
The funding, administered by the Invasive Species Centre, will provide grants to municipalities, conservation authorities and Indigenous communities to focus on detection, on-the-ground management and co-ordinated provincewide responses.
The announcement also notes that the province added 10 new non-native species under the Invasive Species Act and that the government has begun consultation to renew the Ontario Invasive Species Strategic Plan, aimed to address the growing threat of invasive species across Ontario.
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