Help could be on the way for Hillman Marsh
Conservationist Wayne King had tears in his eyes Thursday when professional geo-scientist Pete Zuzek made him aware funding could be on the way to help resolve the erosion of Hillman Marsh.
“It's exciting for me,” said the Leamington local, who used to swim in the marsh as a kid. “I've been working on this for a lot of years. To hear there's possibly something in the pipeline — it was exceptionally good news.”
Essex Region Conservation Authority (ERCA) CAO Tim Byrne says the government has been listening.
“There has been funding that we've been made aware of that could be coming forward,” he said.
A welcomed development after King, a member of the Leamington Shoreline Association, sounded the alarm earlier this week over a decimated Hillman Marsh. He shared pictures of dead fish along the shoreline which he says resulted from a combination of low water levels and the severe weather event before Christmas.
“We've been fighting against high water thinking lower water wouldn't be a problem, it would be good for us but it turned out to be bad,” he said.
The barrier beach that once protected the marsh was destroyed by high lake levels and high winds.
“That was a treeline that was probably 75 feet wide, very heavily treed,” said King, pointing to what used to be a barrier on the east side of the marsh which has effectively turned the marsh into a bay of Lake Erie.
King worries about the lake levels rising further causing erosion and a breach on the south side of the marsh.
“Leaving this berm over here now exposed to the wave action,” said King, pointing to a berm he says protects about 7,500 acres of farm land and roughly 500 homes and businesses. The berm is about a hundred feet wide.
Zuzek first visited south east Leamington 25 years ago. He says the barrier beach system and the marsh eco-system are past the tipping point.
“They’re at a point where there is no returning back to a positive state without significant human intervention,” he said.
Zuzek applauds the resiliency of King, ERCA and the Municipality of Leamington.
“The efforts by everyone to pursue a long-term solution is absolutely critical to maintaining Hillman Marsh and to shore up the dyke infrastructure that protects the farm land below lake level,” he said.
Byrne says ERCA and the Municipality of Leamington have been asked to resubmit a proposal making a request for $18 million through the federal government’s Disaster Mitigation and Adaptation fund (DMAF) to help remediate the area. The fund is part of a 10-year national program that will see $2 billion invested in projects that help communities better withstand natural hazards.
“Hopefully we'll be granted those moneys that ourselves and the municipality of Leamington can undertake this work to protect that eco-system, that wetland and help protect residents of south east Leamington,” he said.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
Fluid in eye cells can 'boil' if you watch the eclipse without protection: expert
Millions of people in parts of Eastern and Atlantic Canada will be able to see the rare solar eclipse happening on April 8. But they should only look up if they have proper eye protection, experts say.
He didn't trust police but sought their help anyway. Two days later, he was dead
Jameek Lowery was among more than 330 Black people who died after police stopped them with tactics that aren’t supposed to be deadly, like physical restraint and use of stun guns, The Associated Press found.
CRA no longer requiring 'bare trust' reporting in 2023 tax return
The Canada Revenue Agency announced Thursday it will not require 'bare trust' reporting from Canadians that it introduced for the 2024 tax season, just four days before the April 2 deadline.
Being harassed at work? What to consider when deciding what to do next
If you've been the victim of workplace harassment, it can be difficult to feel you're not alone - and even more difficult to know where to go with a complaint.
Sunshine list: These were the Ontario public sector's highest earners in 2023
Ontario released its annual sunshine list Thursday afternoon, noting that the largest year-over-year increases were in hospitals, municipalities, and post-secondary sectors.
Grandparent scam: London, Ont., senior beats fraudsters not once, but twice
It was a typical Tuesday for Mabel Beharrell, 84, until she got the call that would turn her world upside down. Her teenaged grandson was in trouble and needed her help.
Half of Canadians support TikTok ban, with U.S. concerns 'trickling' north: poll
A new poll indicates 51 per cent of Canadians support banning the social media app TikTok, after a U.S. bill aiming to do just that passed in the House of Representatives.
Where is the worst place for allergy sufferers in Canada?
The spring allergy season has started early in many parts of Canada, with high levels of pollen in some cities already. Experts weigh in on which areas have it worse so far this season.
More unauthorized products for skin, sexual enhancement, recalled: Here are the recalls of this week
Health Canada and the Canadian Food Inspection Agency recalled various items this week, including torches, beef biltong and unauthorized products related to skin care and sexual enhancement.