TORONTO - As part of their commitment to protecting our environment, the governments of Canada and Ontario will commit further funding support to help farmers make their operations more environmentally sustainable to improve water quality in the Lake Erie and Lake St. Clair watersheds.
Beginning January 15, 2020, applications will be accepted for a new intake of cost-share funding under the Lake Erie Agriculture Demonstrating Sustainability (LEADS) initiative. Funded through the Canadian Agricultural Partnership (the Partnership), the projects LEADS supports in 2020 will build on many previous investments by farmers and the governments to improve the sustainability of farming practices around Lake Erie and reduce phosphorus entering the connecting waterways. Eligible applications will be received and assessed on a continuous basis, while funding is available.
"Canadian farmers are responsible stewards of the land, and our Government is working side-by-side with them to improve soil and water quality, and fight climate change," said the Honourable Marie-Claude Bibeau, federal Minister of Agriculture and Agri-Food. "The LEADS initiative is a critical next step in our collective effort to ensure the sustainability of the Lake Erie water basin."
"We're pleased to support our farmers in their careful stewardship of the land and help them make their operations even more environmentally sustainable," said the Honourable Ernie Hardeman, Ontario Minister of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs. "Our government is committed to working with farmers to build Ontario together, including protecting water quality in the Lake Erie watershed."
Examples of projects eligible for support under LEADS include:
- Modifying equipment to improve management of agricultural nutrients and to reduce soil compaction;
- Planting overwintering cover crops to improve soil health and reduce soil erosion losses;
- Planting vegetation and trees to provide a buffer between agricultural operations and waterways; and
- Retiring environmentally fragile lands from agricultural production and planting permanent vegetative cover to reduce the loss of soil and nutrients from these lands.
Since June 2018, both the federal and provincial governments have committed cost-share support to approximately 2,500 projects through the Partnership to help eligible Ontario farmers, processors, businesses and sector organizations innovate and grow.
Source : Ontario