Studying insects and pests in the Sault 'just makes sense'.The Emerald Ash Borer  This article or section may deal primarily with the U.S. and may not present a worldwide view. and Asian Long-horned beetles are wreaking millions of dollars in property damage to trees in Ontario. That's bad news for landowners across the province, but could be a bit of a boon for Sault Ste. Marie Sault Sainte Marie — pronounced "Soo Saint Marie" (IPA /su seɪnt məˈɹi/) — is the name of two cities on the Saint Marys River, which forms part of the boundary between the United States and Canada. . The City of Locks is getting serious consideration as the future home for a proposed Centre for Invasive Species
Invasive species is a phrase with many definitions. The first definition expresses the phrase in terms of non-indigenous species (e.g. Management. The Sault is already blessed with world-class scientific expertise and research capabilties at the Ontario Forest Research Institute Ontario Forest Research Institute (OFRI) is a division of the Ministry of Natural Resources (Ontario) (OMNR) located in Sault Ste. Marie, Ontario, Canada. This institute is composed of research scientists, specialists, statisticians, technicians, management, and and the Great Lakes Forestry Centre on the city's waterfront. Now senior government forestry officials are putting a bug in the ears of several government agencies about the need for a co-ordination centre to deal specifically with damaging insect species. Errol Caldwell is the newly appointed executive director of Science Enterprise Algoma, an organization with aiming to commercialize local forestry research and eventually build a research and development park in the Sault. "When you think of the expertise here already and the Sault's location, it makes so much sense," he says. The centre could be the lead agency in Ontario to fight insect pest control problems in forestry, urban environments and Great Lakes aquatic species, since the Department of Fisheries and Oceans also operates the Sea Lamprey lamprey, name for several primitive marine and freshwater fishes of the order Cyclostomata, or jawless fishes (see cyclostome). As in the other member of the order, the hagfish, the adult lamprey retains the notochord, the supporting structure that in higher Control Centre at the Sault canal. It would also have the capacity to deal with the emergence of new species and deal with them quickly without having to go to the government for special funding. Caldwell says much more should be done to prevent invasive species from spreading. Early detection systems could find them before they become established and allow for proactive measures instead of having the ministry reacting to outbreaks. For the past year, a steering committee of government researchers and city officials has been working with Ottawa and Queen's Park to develop a detailed proposal for the centre. The initiative would address pressing issues associated with invasive species and would create 50 full-time, high-paying jobs for researchers, technical positions and support staff. Those positions would probablty be filled by government researchers re-directed out of their regular activities to deal with pest management, according to Caldwell. That said, whether the centre will be home to an army of pest researchers or companies specializing in technology transfer is "wide open" at this point, he says. While the Ministry of Natural Resources and Natural Resource Canada are championing the concept, neither have committed any funds towards the initiative. The City of Sault Ste. Marie chipped in $15,000 in mid-January towards a $45,000 feasibility study to develop a comprehensive business plan with an RFP (Request For Proposal) A document that invites a vendor to submit a bid for hardware, software and/or services. It may provide a general or very detailed specification of the system. 1. (business) RFP - Request for Proposal. 2. to hire a consultant. It is due out this month. The plan will include specific functions, an organization and management structure, required staffing levels, building requirements and operating budgets. Caldwell says there may be some commercialization opportunities for local startups such as BioForest Technologies, which is field testing an environmentally-friendly pesticide and injection kit to fight the Asian long-horned beetle. It was based on a formula developed at the Great Lakes Forestry Centre. As well, there might be some academic interest since the University of Toronto Research at the University of Toronto has been responsible for the world's first electronic heart pacemaker, artificial larynx, single-lung transplant, nerve transplant, artificial pancreas, chemical laser, G-suit, the first practical electron microscope, the first cloning of T-cells, and the University of Guelph The University of Guelph is a medium-sized university located in Guelph, Ontario, established in 1964. While the U of G offers degrees in many different disciplines, the university is best known for its focus on life sciences, based in part on a long-standing history of regularly collaborate with the Sault bug labs on research projects with invasives. "We see that continuing and expanding," says Caldwell. There is also a critical need to develop an invasive species database detailing the status of insect pests, their distribution range, climate factors if established and predictative trends. Though neither the Asian Long-horned beetle nor the Emerald Ash Borer is rampant in Northern Ontario, Caldwell says the ash borer is only two hours south of the Sault in northern Lower Michigan, and the beetle is well-established in the Greater Toronto Area The Greater Toronto Area (widely abbreviated as the GTA) is the most populous metropolitan area in Canada. The GTA is a provincial planning area with a population of 5,555,912 at the 2006 Canadian Census. . The ash borer's presence has resulted in the destruction of more than 50,000 trees in Essex County near Windsor, many of which were replanted in cities and towns after Dutch elm disease Dutch elm disease: see diseases of plants; elm. Dutch elm disease Widespread disease that kills elms, caused by the fungus Ceratocystis ulmi. It was first identified in the U.S. went through in the 1970s. www.utoronto.ca www.mnr.gov.on.ca By IAN ROSS Northern Ontario Business Northern Ontario Business is a Canadian magazine, which publishes monthly in Greater Sudbury, Ontario. The magazine covers business news and issues in Northern Ontario. |
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