Time is running desperately short for the Ontario Government to come to the table and help affected municipalities and property owners fund a gypsy moth spraying program for 2008.

In order to truly be effective, spraying must be done in early spring before the gypsy moth larvae hatch, which I understand could be any day now depending on the weather.

Gypsy moth caterpillars are particularly dangerous pests, because they are known to attack more than 300 different plant species. One adult female gypsy moth can lay up to 1,000 eggs per egg mass. During the larva stage, a single gypsy moth caterpillar can consume as much as 1,000 square centimetres of tree foliage.

According to Ontario government statistics, in 2006, about 12,000 acres in Niagara, Glanbrook and the surrounding regions were defoliated by gypsy moths. That area more than doubled to 31,000 acres in 2007. Judging by the amount of egg masses, arbourists familiar with this pest are predicting the infestation to grow even more in 2008 unless decisive action is taken now.

Municipal leaders in Hamilton, West Lincoln, Pelham and other communities have taken steps to combat the spread of gypsy moths. They are showing leadership in an area where the province has shown none. However, gypsy moths do not recognize municipal boundaries and small municipalities cannot finance the needed comprehensive spray program.

That is why the Province of Ontario must come to the table as it did in the early 1990s when we last faced this level of gypsy moth infestation. As your MPP, I have spoken directly to the responsible Minister on several occasions, organized petitions, tabled a motion in the Legislature, wrote a stream of letters, and spoken on the floor of the Legislature many times. Working with people like Dan and Barb Arbuckle and Anne Dunham in Binbrook, Scotty Bakalar in West Lincoln, municipal leaders and all those who distributed and signed my petition, we have finally won the Province’s attention.

However, we need the Ministry of Natural Resources to move beyond studying the issue to action. If you are concerned about the spread of gypsy moths and the damage they will cause to our environment, I encourage you to call the Hon. Donna Cansfield, Minister of Natural Resources, at 416-314-2301 or email her at dcansfield.mpp@liberal.ola.org. Please copy me at timhudak@niagara.net with your emails, so I can bring them up in the House.