Three significant achievements represent great advancements for the proposed national urban park project
April 17, 2023 Windsor, Ontario Parks Canada
Access to nature plays a unique and vital role in the lives of Canadians. New national urban parks that are readily accessible provide urban green spaces and cultural resources that are doubly important as we address the dual crises of climate change and biodiversity loss.
Today, Irek Kusmierczyk, Member of Parliament for Windsor-Tecumseh and Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister of Employment, Workforce Development and Disability Inclusion, on behalf of the Honourable Steven Guilbeault, Minister of Environment and Climate Change and Minister responsible for Parks Canada, and on behalf of the Honourable Omar Alghabra, Minister of Transport, announced several major milestones toward a proposed new national urban park in Windsor.
The Windsor national urban park takes a big step forward with the completion of the much-anticipated Ojibway Shores land transfer from Transport Canada to Parks Canada.
The Ojibway Shores property has significant ecological value. It includes the only remaining undeveloped shoreline of the Detroit River in the Windsor-Detroit area and offers a vital ecological connection between the river and the Ojibway Prairie Complex.
These lands and waters are also culturally and historically significant to the First Nations peoples who have stewarded them for millennia. The creation of a national urban park in the traditional territory of the Three Fires Confederacy is an opportunity to support and foster First Nations' leadership and stewardship in conserving and restoring these lands and waters. The Detroit River itself is also a culturally significant place in terms of Black history, and its connection to the underground railroad. Because of its rich ecological and cultural connections, Ojibway Shores is planned for inclusion in the proposed national urban park.
With this transfer, the federal Government can now begin the process of remediation through cleanup operations that will benefit the local environment and the many species of plants and animals that depend on it for survival. Ojibway Shores provides critical habitat for many rare and threatened species. It is also an important stop-over for migratory birds including eight species at risk and the natural shoreline acts as a movement corridor and provides nesting habitat for turtles such as the endangered Spiny Softshell.
Mr. Kusmierczyk also announced the completion of the pre-feasibility phase for the proposed park. This confirms that the candidate site aligns with the National Urban Parks Program objectives. Parks Canada recognizes the important work undertaken by the Windsor Partner Committee and partners' commitment to advancing the program objectives. This includes Caldwell First Nation, Walpole Island First Nation, the City of Windsor, the Town of LaSalle, the Province of Ontario, and Hydro One. The partner committee's work is reflected in the pre-feasibility report and will inform future planning for a national urban park in Windsor.
The purchase of an additional and strategic piece of land to further complement the proposed national urban park also formed part of today's announcement. Parks Canada provided $1.3M to the City of Windsor to purchase a residential property which holds tremendous value for the proposed park. Acquiring this property will provide the opportunity to restore the land and improve ecological connectivity between the surrounding natural areas that all lie within the proposed park study area.
As well, Parks Canada released a background document and discussion paper today to solicit input from partners, stakeholders, and the public to inform a new National Urban Parks Policy.
This new policy will guide the designation and management of new national urban parks across the country to ensure that they meet the program objectives of conserving nature, connecting people with nature, and advancing reconciliation with Indigenous peoples.
As part of the Government of Canada's commitment to protect biodiversity and to conserve 25 percent of lands and waters by 2025, and 30 percent of each by 2030, Parks Canada, in collaboration with a wide array of partners, will continue to work toward realizing the vision of establishing a network of national urban parks in many of Canada's major urban centres.
