The Town of Essex is pushing for answers from the province on an invasive weed that is causing problems. The town reached out to the Ontario government regarding Canada thistle along Highway 3 and South Talbot Road in Essex. The Ministry of Transportation (MTO) sent correspondence back to the town saying they are aware of the concerns but there is no timeline for when action will be taken. The MTO says they are reviewing conditions along the highway and is consulting with the Ministry of Agriculture about possible management options. Canada thistle is legally designated as a noxious weed in many regions, including Ontario, because it ruins farm crops and crowds out native plants. Essex mayor Sherry Bondy says the response back is a start, but the municipality needs more concrete answers. “They’ve acknowledged that we have a concern, but it still poses more questions. They said they’re talking to shareholders and they’re doing more investigation. But at this point, I’d like to have a meeting with them, whether we invite them to council or whether we have a Zoom call with me and the CAO... we want to have more timelines.” She says the invasive plant is spreading quickly along the Highway 3 corridor, and the Town wants to work with the province on a plan to control it. “It spreads really fast. So we’re talking about an area where we have an active transportation path in the Town of Essex which is beautiful and we want people to use it. And across the road, there are homes and literally a month ago when you were driving down the road, the seeds from the thistle are blowing so much that it’s like snow in the air.” Bondy says they need provincial support as majority of the thistle is on provincial land. “In terms of the grand scheme of things, 80 per cent of the thistle is on the ministry’s land and only about 20 per cent is on ours. So even if we eradicate it completely on the Town of Essex land, we’re not going to make any headway if the Ministry of Transportation doesn’t help us.” Bondy says she’s pleased the province responded quickly, but wants to see action before the problem gets worse. The Town of Essex is now looking to arrange a meeting with provincial officials to discuss timelines and possible mitigation efforts for the Canada thistle. Essex council will discuss the correspondence from the MTO during Monday night’s meeting.
