They can submit applications to Environment, Conservation and Parks Ministry up to the deadline of October 5. Projects can be subsidized up to $375,000.
The projects will likely be to reduce the amount of water used and to take phosphorous out of water used to wash vegetables.
“With this investment, farmers will be able to upgrade and improve the tools they have to further their productivity and sustainably feed Ontario,” said Tim Horlings, chairman of the Holland Marsh Growers’ Association.
“At the end of the day, farmers are the stewards of the land, and the Ontario government is helping them with another piece of the puzzle to achieve their goals.”
Todd McMarthy, minister of the Environment, Conservation and Parks said this new fund is “just one of the ways our government is empowering communities to protect the air, land and water in Ontario for generations to come.”
Since 2018, the Ontario government has invested $37 million to restore and protect Lake Simcoe, resulting in a 50 per cent reduction in phosphorus from sewage treatment, reduced algae growth and the stabilization of yellow perch and warm-water fish populations. However, there are now fewer smallmouth bass, but they are larger in size, the government said.
McCarthy said the Holland Marsh produces more carrots, celery, onions, lettuce, and greens than any other single region in Canada.
