TORONTO — The Ontario government is spending nearly $1.2 million to help the City of Brampton restore wetlands and reduce flood risk along Heart Lake Road.The funding, announced Monday by the Ministry of the Environment, Conservation and Parks, will support the Heart Lake Road Wetlands Connectivity Project. Led by the city in partnership with the Toronto and Region Conservation Authority, the work will enhance 25 acres (10 hectares) of wetlands in the Heart Lake Wetlands Complex, which drains into Spring Creek.Project work includes restoring wetland shorelines, upgrading stormwater infrastructure, removing invasive species such as Common Buckthorn, and planting native plants and trees. Officials say the changes will improve ecosystem function while lowering flood risk to nearby roads..Environment Minister Todd McCarthy said wetlands act as natural infrastructure that protect communities from flooding and drought while providing wildlife habitat.The Brampton project is part of a larger $9.6 million allocation this year under the province’s Wetlands Conservation Partner Program. Since 2020, Ontario has spent nearly $41 million on 660 projects that have restored or enhanced more than 12,200 acres of wetlands.Brampton has now received a total of $3.69 million through the program for two projects covering more than 37 acres.Projects under the program require matching contributions from non-provincial sources.
