Province investing $650,000 in Carruthers Creek watershed restoration plan in Ajax

The Ontario government is investing $650,000 in a project led by the Town of Ajax to restore approximately seven acres of wetlands in the Carruthers Creek watershed.

The announcement is a victory for the community, with the Carruthers Creek watershed the subject of years of battles between environmentalists and developers, with growing community support to protect the wetlands from urban sprawl.

Andrea Khanjin, the provincial Minister of the Environment, Conservation and Parks, was in Ajax Monday to make the announcement. “Urban wetlands are incredibly important to our communities — they help provide vital habitat for local wildlife, while absorbing stormwater to protect homes from flooding,” she said. “We are proud to support this unique project to restore wetlands in the Carruthers Creek watershed which will have a lasting, positive impact on the local environment and the community.”

The funds will come from the Wetlands Conservation Partner program, with the Ajax wetlands project one of about 200 across Ontario that are collectively receiving $11 million from the program this year.

The money will help the Town of Ajax and Toronto and Region Conservation Authority remove unnecessary drainage pipes left over from past agricultural use to help restore the land to a more natural state. With additional support from Ducks Unlimited Canada, this work will also include creating wetland ‘pockets’ that will hold water on the landscape, as well as planting native trees, shrubs and aquatic plants which will help mitigate urban stormwater impacts, prevent flooding and provide increased habitat for fish and wildlife in the area.

The enhanced wetland habitat will also act as a natural water filter to improve water quality.

“Wetlands are vital in the fight against climate change. The Audley Wetland Project will restore the wetland, mitigate urban stormwater impacts, and improve resiliency to intense weather events associated with climate change, while also improving the habitat of fish and wildlife in Ajax,” said Ajax Mayor Shaun Collier, who thanked the Province for its support in “this important watershed restoration opportunity.”

The provincial program is one of the largest investments in wetland enhancement and restoration in the province’s history, with $31 million invested in the past five years on a range of projects, including restoring and enhancing large-scale wetlands; smaller wetlands on marginal agricultural lands; and wetlands in more urban areas as part of municipal stormwater management.

In the first two years of the program, an estimated $6 million worth of damage due to flooding has been avoided and more than 170 green jobs created in Ontario’s rural and urban communities to undertake restoration work.

“Wetlands are critical to Ontario’s environment and communities,” said Natural Resources Minister Graydon Smith, who promised his ministry “will continue to support wetland conservation partnerships to ensure these natural resources provide critical recreational and environmental benefit for generations.”

Ducks Unlimited called wetlands “essential resources” that improve water quality, provide habitat for at-risk species, and increase climate change resiliency. “Ongoing investments and strong partnerships are critical to restoring and enhancing these valuable ecosystems,” said the conservation organization’s Manager of Provincial Operations, Marie-Paule Godin, adding they will be working together with the project partners to “carry out wetland restoration projects in high priority areas.”

Toronto and Region Conservation Authority CEO John MacKenzie said the project will ensure the “long-term health” of the Carruthers Creek watershed and “contribute to building resilient communities for the future.”