Ontario spends $50M yearly to fight invasive species harming ecosystems, infrastructure, and economy.

Ontario spends over $50 million yearly to combat invasive species like phragmites, sea lamprey, common buckthorn, the Asian longhorned beetle, and hemlock woolly adelgid, which threaten ecosystems, infrastructure, and the economy. Phragmites clog drainage systems, costing $1,100 per kilometer to manage; sea lamprey kill large fish, prompting a $25 million annual control effort; buckthorn costs $202 per hectare to treat; and the beetle could cost $8.6 to $12.2 billion to replace affected maple trees. The hemlock woolly adelgid threatens forests, with detections in southern Ontario. The province funds control through initiatives like the $11 million Invasive Phragmites Control Fund, while invasive species cause billions in economic damage across Canada.