Sault is bug-eyed for invasive species lab.

• Author: Ross, Ian
• Position: NEWS

Invasive species are coming into Canada fast and furious, in all shapes, sizes and modes of transport.

For decades, there's been pitched ecological battles in Ontario to control the spread of pests such as sea lamprey and zebra mussels.

But in recent years, there's been an explosion of European green crab in the nets of Maritimer fishermen, mountain pine beetles are destroying British Columbia forests, the emerald ash borer beetle is chewing up trees in southern Ontario, and monstrous Asian silver carp in the Illinois River are threatening the Great Lakes.

Where once these critters hitched a ride in packing crates or the ballast water of saltwater freighters, the growth of international containerized freight combined with global warming are predicted to accelerate infestation plagues.

And in many cases, these pests have no known natural predators.

Errol Caldwell is preparing a case that the environmental damage from invasive species in Canada could jump from $7.5 billion annually to as high as $34.5 billion within five years if the problem is not dealt with in a coordinated fashion.

The executive director of Science Enterprise Algoma (SEA) is assembling the building blocks to build a case for an Alien Invasive Species Centre in Sault Ste. Marie, potentially the first of its kind in Canada.

The science-based economic development organization is spearheading a local effort to commercialize government forestry and aquatic research in the city.

In late August, the organization's consultants--Metropolitan Knowledge International (MKI)--came back with a final report on how such a proposed centre should operate and what focus is needed to make it happen.

"This report makes our case for us," says Caldwell. "It's a matter of presenting to the decision makers that it's good value for public money to invest in this institute."

The Sault is home to two world-class government-run forestry research labs as well as the Department of Fisheries and Oceans sea lamprey control centre.

In upcoming federal pre-budget consultation hearings this fall, Caldwell will argue the Sault is a logical choice for such an institute specializing in exotic forestry and aquatic pest management.

The centre is comparable to the Canadian Interagency Forest Fire Centre in Winnipeg, which coordinates efforts to fight fires. It would pull all the related agencies and research to track and fight pests under one roof.

Part of the problem, says Caldwell, is there's no single...