Invasive Species Management Framework

The Town is developing an Invasive Species Management Framework (ISMF) to address invasive species in Halton Hills. “Invasive species” are non-native plants and/or animals that enter an ecosystem, compete with native species, and potentially have significant and negative impacts on communities. In the Town of Halton Hills this includes mainly plants (such as buckthorn and garlic mustard), but also some tree pests and diseases (such as emerald ash borer that kills most ash trees or spongy moth), and a few aquatic species (such as round goby).  

Invasive species are one of the greatest risks to sustaining the biodiversity, its natural areas and tree population, and the important services these “green assets” provide. They can also cause harm to infrastructure, create health and safety risks, and have a negative impact on our local economy.

Recognizing that we all need to do our part to prevent and manage invasive species, the ISMP will include approaches to prevent, monitor and manage these threats with an emphasis on education and collaboration. The plan will also help the Town identify and prioritize what to manage and where to most effectively use municipal resources.

To help identify and better understand the challenges of invasive species in Halton Hills, the Town partnered with Credit Valley Conservation (CVC) to complete an Invasive Species Study, which was summarized for Council through memo CSE-2024-007 in 2024. 

UPDATE: On April 23rd, 2026 the Town hosted a public open house to share the outline for the ISMF and possible actions that might be included in the Plan. The Town continues to refine the draft ISMF with feedback from the public, First Nations, community groups, related external agencies, Council, and staff. A draft of the report will be brought to Council in late June 2026 and a final report in July 2026 for Council approval.

To learn more about project and draft plan, you can view the information boards that were shared at the open house.