QUEEN’S PARK — Lisa Gretzky, NDP MPP for Windsor West, said she is disappointed by the Ford government’s decision Wednesday to delay the creation of Ojibway National Urban Park.
Gretzky tabled a motion in August calling on the provincial government to transfer ownership of Ojibway Prairie Provincial Nature Reserve to Parks Canada to make it possible to create this park. On Wednesday, the government voted down her motion.
“Creating Ojibway National Urban Park is an important environmental project for our community,” said Gretzky. “We have been doing significant community consultations for months now and this initiative has support across the board. It would protect local endangered species and natural heritage areas. It will help us mitigate flooding. It will create publicly accessible green space. And it would encourage eco-tourism in the Windsor-Essex region. It would be an exceptional addition to our community. I will continue to work with Caldwell First Nation and the community to bring their vision for Ojibway National Urban Park to life.”
Gretzky has been working with federal MP Brian Masse (Windsor West) to bring Ojibway National Urban Park to life — an effort backed by Windsor City Council, Caldwell First Nation and various community and conservation groups.
“We’re incredibly disappointed to see the government vote down the motion to create Ojibway National Urban Park”, said Chief Mary Duckworth of Caldwell First Nation. “Caldwell First Nation has worked side-by-side with our local MPP, Lisa Gretzky, over the last several months to bring this motion to the legislature, and we were excited to see it get one step closer to becoming a reality. This incredible community collaboration is not a partisan or political issue. We will continue to advocate to make this park happen.”
The goal of transferring the ownership of the Ojibway Prairie Provincial Nature Reserve to Parks Canada is to establish a cohesive, federally protected urban park. The park would span the land encompassing the current Ojibway Prairie Provincial Nature Reserve, Spring Garden Natural Area, Black Oak Heritage Park, the Tallgrass Prairie Park and Ojibway Shores.
Ford government delays effort to create Ojibway National Urban Park
Published on October 28, 2022