A fishery in Wheatley is getting a major upgrade from the province to help sustain local jobs, increase food production in the region, and stay competitive.
The Ontario government will be investing more than $10 million to upgrade two fisheries management facilities along Lake Erie in Wheatley and Port Dover.
Mike Harris, Ontario’s Minister of Natural Resources, attended the Lake Erie Management Unit in Wheatley on Friday to announce the planned improvements, which will replace aging infrastructure, expand facility space and incorporate new technologies to improve efficiency and safety. This will provide increased space for equipment needed during field operations and an upgraded laboratory space for processing samples.
“There’s a lot of conservation work that’s done through this department. There’s a lot of work into how we set quotas on the lake, how we look at fisheries management. A lot of that research is done right here in Wheatley,” said Harris. “We want to open new markets for our commercial fisheries sector here and make the lake is on its best footing so that we can have a thriving fisheries sector for years to come.”
The renovations are expected to support the long-term health and sustainability of ecosystems and fish populations in Lake Erie and Lake St. Clair, while also helping to ensure both facilities are well-positioned to support the current and future needs of Ontario’s fisheries. The investment will also help ensure the fisheries are able to stay competitive and resilient to withstand economic uncertainty from the United States.
Ward 1 Councillor Lauren Anderson, who also attended the funding announcement on Friday, said she was thrilled to see the investment being made in the fisheries sector in Wheatley, and noted her personal connection to the industry.
“This harbour is actually what brought my family here. My grandfather was the freshwater fish inspector,” she said. “To be part of this and to be here for this announcement is such a great honour exciting time for me personally, but also for the community of Wheatley, because this industry is what has kept Wheatley going for generation upon generation.”
Construction at both fisheries will begin over the next two years, with completion of the Port Dover facility expected by 2027, followed by the Wheatley facility by 2029.
Lake Erie has one of the world’s largest freshwater commercial fisheries with an economic benefit of $200 million per year, which supports around 1,000 jobs in the fishery and fish processing sectors.