On Sept. 23, Niagara College welcomed the Honourable Mike Harris, Ontario’s Minister of Natural Resources, and Dawn Gallagher Murphy, Parliamentary Assistant to the Minister of Natural Resources, to the Niagara-on-the-Lake Campus as the Ontario government announced a $5-million investment to help protect the province’s lands, lakes and rivers from phragmites, one of Ontario’s most harmful invasive plants.
Minister Harris, PA Gallagher Murphy and President Kennedy with students from NC’s School of Environment and Horticulture.
The funding will support 119 local recipients, including NC, which will use the funding to manage phragmites at both the Welland and Niagara-on-the-Lake campuses. The initiative will help protect campus biodiversity and infrastructure while supporting proactive invasive species management.
“Niagara College is proud to be a leader in advancing environmental stewardship and demonstrating our commitment through action, working alongside valued partners across Niagara,” said Niagara College President Sean Kennedy. “Education is an important tool in protecting our natural environment for the future. We are grateful to the province for recognizing the role colleges can play in demonstrating this collective responsibility and for supporting important conservation efforts through funding for our campus mitigation initiatives.”
Following the announcement, Minister Harris joined President Kennedy and members of NC leadership for a tour showcasing the College’s innovative learning enterprises and its work in applied research, environmental stewardship and hands-on learning.
Scott Golem, Acting Associate Director of HESIC led Minister Harris through a tour of the research greenhouse.
The tour began at the Horticultural and Environment Sciences Innovation Centre (HESIC) and its research greenhouse, where Scott Golem, Acting Associate Director, explained how HESIC specializes in greenhouse and controlled-environment agriculture. Together researchers and students explore technologies and production practices that address real-world challenges facing the horticulture industry.
Golem explained that the HESIC research greenhouse is designed to closely replicate a professional growing environment at a smaller, more controlled scale. This enables College researchers to test new technologies and production practices and generate validated data to help bridge the gap between concept and commercial success for growers.
The Honourable Mike Harris, Ontario’s Minister of Natural Resources (Left) and NCSAC President, Hish Clifford.
The tour continued with Evan DiValentino, Dean, Business and Environment, who led Minister Harris through NC’s Teaching Greenhouse, a living lab for the School of Environment and Horticulture.
The Teaching Greenhouse provides students with opportunities to apply classroom learning in a hands-on environment while gaining practical experience in horticulture, environmental stewardship and sustainable practices.
The visit highlighted how Niagara College’s campuses serve not only as places of learning, but also as living laboratories where students, researchers and industry partners can contribute to solutions for environmental challenges.
Niagara College was pleased to host Minister Harris and is grateful to the Government of Ontario for its support through this funding, which will help advance important invasive species management efforts across NC’s campuses.
To read the Province of Ontario’s news release, click here.
