Thank you, Mr. Chair, and members of the committee.
On behalf of the Ministry of Natural Resources, I'd like to thank the committee for the opportunity to discuss aquatic invasive species with you today. I'm Anne Neary. I'm the director of the Applied Research and Development Branch with the Ministry of Natural Resources.
With me today is Ala Boyd, the manager of our biodiversity policy section; Tim Johnson, our senior research scientist for the Great Lakes; and Francine MacDonald, our senior invasive species biologist.
The Ontario Ministry of Natural Resources, as you perhaps know, is the provincial government lead for aquatic invasive species. We develop and enforce legislation and policy on invasive species and are responsible for fisheries management in Ontario, including the Great Lakes.
Over the next 10 to 12 minutes, I'm going to quickly go through some of the threats posed by aquatic invasive species in Ontario and then briefly cover some of the actions we're taking.
The Great Lakes basin ecosystem is one of the most biodiverse in Canada. It's home to thousands of species of fish, wildlife, and plants and is vitally important to the economy of Ontario. In fact, the combined value of the Great Lakes recreational and commercial fishery to Ontario is estimated to be more than $650 million annually.
Since European settlement, more than 180 non-native species have become established in the Great Lakes. The most problematic have been round goby, sea lamprey, zebra mussels, and quagga mussels. These species are considered invasive. We refer to them as "invasive" rather than “non-native” because of their ability to cause harm to the environment, economy, and society.
These species have altered the food webs in the Great Lakes. They've contributed to the decline and disappearance of fish and wildlife and have contributed to unanticipated human and wildlife health concerns, such as botulism outbreaks and harmful algal blooms on the Great Lakes. The impacts on society and the economy have been equally significant. Zebra mussels alone cost Ontarians about $100 million annually in control measures at nuclear power facilities and water treatment plants. I'm sure you have also heard of Asian carp, a recent significant threat to Ontario's Great Lakes. Ontario is taking action on this front. It is clear that prevention of new invasive species, particularly Asian carp, is by far preferable to and less costly than attempts to eradicate or control these species once they've arrived.
The fisheries of the Great Lakes are far too important to the interests of Ontario and Canada to not take preventative action. Ontario has delegated authority under the Fisheries Act for fisheries management in the province. Under this authority, our ministry develops Ontario fishery regulations and is responsible for their administration and enforcement. Regulation changes are approved by the federal Governor in Council.
Before 2005, live Asian carp were imported into Ontario for human consumption. Ontario recognized the significant threat they posed to the Great Lakes fishery, and through these regulations we made it illegal to possess live Asian Carp as well as other high-risk invasives, such as northern snakehead.
We give high priority to enforcing these regulations, and our conservation officers work cooperatively with the Canada Border Services Agency to prevent live Asian carp from entering Ontario. Since 2010, MNR has seized six shipments of live invasive carp at the U.S-Canada border. These seizures have highlighted the need to consider additional regulations or tools to improve compliance.
In 2011 we worked with Fisheries and Oceans Canada to develop a provincial rapid response plan for Asian carp. The plan guides our actions if Asian carp are detected in Ontario waters. Our scientists are working with Fisheries and Oceans Canada and the Great Lakes Fishery Commission on binational, biological, and socio-economic risk assessments for Asian carp. Risk assessments help us understand the potential impacts to the Great Lakes and identify areas of the lakes that would be most vulnerable to invasion.
However, Ontario's actions to address Asian carp cannot succeed in isolation. Actions in the U.S. are required to prevent the introduction of Asian carp into Lake Michigan through the Chicago Sanitary and Ship Canal, as inaction will have profound impacts for Ontario.
We closely monitor activities in the U.S., we've communicated our concerns, and we've supported U.S. efforts that will protect Ontario. For example, in 2009, Ontario supported the State of Michigan's motion to the U.S. Supreme Court for a preliminary injunction to close the Chicago Sanitary and Ship Canal. Since that time, we have been encouraged by the U.S. government and the State of Illinois' efforts to develop an effective control strategy for Asian carp.
In addition to working with our U.S. partners in binational waters, it is important that Ontario keep its own house in order by having a province-wide strategy for all invasive species. For this reason Ontario just recently developed an invasive species strategic plan. It's an inter-ministerial plan with the Ministry of Natural Resources as the lead and includes the provincial ministries of agriculture, environment, and transportation. The plan builds on the national strategy on invasive alien species, namely, prevention, early detection, rapid response, and management and adaptation.
Our strategic plan highlights Ontario's existing work, and identifies gaps in current programs and future actions to address priority areas.
Leadership and coordination are fundamental to the plan. Invasive species are a complex problem and no single ministry or government is engaged in all aspects of this issue. We must continue to work together and establish clear federal and provincial roles and responsibilities. This is particularly important with respect to rapid response, control, and management.
Legislation, regulation, and policy can be very effective. For example, since the implementation of Canada's ballast water regulations, no new invasive species have been detected in the Great Lakes since 2006. This is a huge step forward.
But gaps still exist in Canada and Ontario's regulatory tools. For example, aquatic invasive plants used in the water garden industry, such as European water chestnut, are not covered by federal legislation that prevent their import to Canada. Over the past decade, Ontario and Quebec have invested hundreds of thousands of dollars in eradication programs for these plants.
We're very encouraged by the aquatic invasive species regulatory framework that Fisheries and Oceans Canada recently proposed. The framework will provide a comprehensive approach to regulating the import of invasive species and enable their control and eradication. However, new authorities bring increased responsibilities, which cannot fall solely to Ontario. Fisheries and Oceans Canada and the Canadian Food Inspection Agency must continue their roles in prevention, detection, and control. Ontario is working with Fisheries and Oceans to better understand its roles and responsibilities, and the roles and responsibilities of the federal government as well.
Understanding the risk and impacts and the likelihood of occurrence of aquatic invasive species is crucial to knowing how to manage our resources. We're working with Fisheries and Oceans Canada's Centre of Expertise for Aquatic Risk Assessment on the key invasive species threatening Canada, specifically the Great Lakes region. Our scientists also work with the Canadian Aquatic Invasive Species Network in Windsor to develop rapid response models for invasive species.
Research and monitoring are essential to understanding invasive species. They allow us to assess impacts and identify new and innovative control measures. The Ministry of Natural Resources is leading research on the impacts of invasive species such as quagga mussel, round goby, and bloody red shrimp in the Great Lakes food webs. With advances in technology, our science programs are also evolving. For example, our scientists are investigating the application of environmental DNA as an invasive species detection tool, and we're also involved in research to develop innovative control measures for round goby.
The leadership shown by the federal government in sea lamprey control is critical to protect our Great Lakes fishery. Our reliance on Transport Canada to continue to inspect ocean-going vessels and make sure they comply with ballast water regulations cannot be overstated.
We recognize that neither the federal nor the provincial government can succeed alone. The role of citizens, communities, and other levels of government and organizations in invasive species prevention has been a core component of our invasive species program for over two decades. We partner with organizations such as the Ontario Federation of Anglers and Hunters to increase the awareness of anglers and boaters of the importance of prevention, and we've had great success.
The federal government has also been engaged in Ontario's invasive species strategic plan. We recognize the government as a key partner in our strategic plan, given the strong linkages to the national strategy.
A good example of our partnership is the joint Canada-Ontario Invasive Species Centre in Sault Ste. Marie. Ontario committed $15 million over five years in 2008 to develop the centre. Its primary objective is to coordinate federal and provincial efforts and, in doing so, optimize our resources to address invasive species. Over the past five years, more than 100 partnership projects have been funded by the ministry through the Invasive Species Centre. Federal partners in the centre include Fisheries and Oceans Canada, the Canadian Food Inspection Agency, the Canadian Forest Service, and Environment Canada.
Both of our governments are dealing with significant financial pressures and have announced plans to eliminate the deficit. Key departments involved in aquatic species are proceeding with regulatory reform. Changes may have significant impacts on the delivery of our programs and partnerships.
With Environment Canada's recent cancelling of funding for its invasive alien species partnership program, the federal government and the provinces must seek new ways to engage our Canadian citizens. Invasive species are a problem that we can't combat alone. Environmental groups have been and will continue to be key players in preventing their introduction and spread. In these challenging economic times, continued investments in prevention and early detection are critical. These are far more effective and less costly than managing established invaders. The federal government has a lead role in aquatic invasive species prevention, from preventing ballast releases to the Great Lakes to developing national regulations preventing the import of invasive species of concern to Ontario and Canada.
Some of the proposed Fisheries Act changes dealing with fish habitat and fish health are also of importance and interest to Ontario. With the exception of fish habitat, the management and administration of Ontario's inland fisheries have been delegated to the province. A weakening of legislation may compromise our ability to successfully manage our fisheries and conserve biodiversity.
We support streamlined and enabling regulatory tools to better manage Ontario's fisheries, but it is important that we work closely together with the federal government to adopt consistent approaches. Effective implementation can occur only with the provinces at your side, laying out roles and responsibilities together.
Ontario is also facing major financial pressures. It's critical that both levels of government work together to make the best use of our available funds. Greater collaboration by governments during fiscal constraint will be critical in due diligence and delivery. We need to resolve this together.
In summary, as Ontario moves forward to implement its invasive species strategic plan, we hope to continue to benefit from the federal government's ongoing efforts and regulations to protect Canada from the consequences of invasive species. We must build on our history of strong collaboration and positive relationships as we develop legislation and policy, deliver programs, and do the right research and monitoring to allow us to prevent and respond to the threat of invasive species. The biodiversity of our nation and the important fisheries of Ontario depend on it.
Thank you for the opportunity to address the committee.
