Niagara College will use part of a new $5-million provincial fund to go after phragmites, one of Ontario’s most harmful invasive plants, at its Welland and Niagara-on-the-Lake campuses.
Mike Harris, Ontario’s Minister of Natural Resources, announced the investment Sept. 23 at the college’s Niagara-on-the-Lake campus. Dawn Gallagher Murphy, Parliamentary Assistant to the Minister of Natural Resources, joined him. The money goes to municipalities, Indigenous communities, conservation authorities and local organizations working to keep phragmites out of Ontario’s lands, lakes and rivers. The province says it will fund 119 projects and support nearly 200 local jobs.
“Protecting Ontario’s natural environment means taking action now against invasive species like phragmites, before they can do more damage,” Harris said. “By investing $5 million in local partners, our government is moving to protect Ontario’s biodiversity, strengthen local economies and preserve the outdoor spaces that our families and communities enjoy.”
Phragmites spreads quickly and grows in dense stands that crowd out native plants and damage wetlands, beaches and wildlife habitat. Its extensive root system lets it take over large areas, which is why it’s so hard to get rid of.
The Invasive Species Centre and the Nature Conservancy of Canada run the Invasive Phragmites Control Fund. The centre gets $3.1 million of this year’s money and the conservancy gets $1.9 million, delivered through the Ontario Phragmites Action program. This year the fund is focused on mapping, monitoring and prevention.
Niagara College is one of three Niagara recipients the province named. The Niagara Peninsula Conservation Authority will map and manage phragmites across the watershed. The Town of Pelham will treat environmentally sensitive stormwater management ponds to help control the spread.
“Phragmites are one of the most damaging invasive plants in Ontario, threatening our wetlands, shorelines and the natural spaces that communities value,” Gallagher Murphy said. “With this $5 million investment, our government is fighting invasive species, restoring affected ecosystems and protecting Ontario’s communities and natural heritage for future generations.”
At the college, the work is meant to protect campus biodiversity and infrastructure and to get ahead of the problem instead of reacting to it.
“Niagara College is proud to be a leader in advancing environmental stewardship and demonstrating our commitment through action, working alongside valued partners across Niagara,” said Niagara College President Sean Kennedy. “Education is an important tool in protecting our natural environment for the future. We are grateful to the province for recognizing the role colleges can play in demonstrating this collective responsibility and for supporting important conservation efforts through funding for our campus mitigation initiatives.”
Niagara West MPP Sam Oosterhoff also welcomed the funding.
“This critical provincial funding to fight the spread of phragmites in our local wetlands and waterways is another important step by our government to protect Ontario’s natural environment,” Oosterhoff said. “This investment is key in our fight against one of the most harmful invasive plants in the province and will help support habitat restoration efforts in our region, including by the Town of Pelham, Niagara Peninsula Conservation Authority and Niagara College.”
The province estimates invasive species cost Ontario $3.6 billion a year across agriculture, fisheries, forestry, healthcare, tourism and outdoor recreation. It calls them a leading cause of biodiversity loss. This week’s announcement follows $2 million the province announced in June for more than 110 community-led projects. Since 2024, Ontario has put $16 million into invasive species management, prevention and control, covering nearly 600 projects.
After the announcement, Harris toured the campus with Kennedy and members of the college’s leadership team to see its learning enterprises, applied research and hands-on programs.
The first stop was the Horticultural and Environmental Sciences Innovation Centre (HESIC) and its research greenhouse. Scott Golem, the centre’s acting associate director, explained that HESIC specializes in greenhouse and controlled-environment agriculture, with researchers and students working together on technologies and production practices for real problems facing the horticulture industry.
Golem said the research greenhouse is built to closely replicate a professional growing operation at a smaller, more controlled scale. That lets college researchers test new technologies and production practices and produce validated data growers can use to take an idea from concept to commercial success.
Evan DiValentino, Dean of Business and Environment, then took Harris through the college’s Teaching Greenhouse. It serves as a living lab for the School of Environment and Horticulture, where students put classroom learning to work and pick up practical experience in horticulture, environmental stewardship and sustainable practices.
The college said the visit showed how its campuses work as living laboratories, where students, researchers and industry partners can help solve environmental problems. It thanked the Ontario government for the funding, which will support invasive species management across its campuses.
