Federal funding paves way for Ojibway National Urban Park
Millions of dollars earmarked in Tuesday’s federal budget should allow the dream of Ojibway National Urban Park to become a reality.
The budget proposes $36.1 million over five years to kick-start the park and $4.6 million per year to keep it going.
“It’s big money,” Windsor-Tecumseh MP Irek Kusmierczyk said.
“It’s a big commitment and what it means is we will have Ojibway national urban park by next summer, which is incredible.”
Kusmierczyk said details like park boundaries and governance still need to be worked out, but that Parks Canada will get the money needed to make it happen.
In March, Caldwell First Nation signed a memorandum of understanding with the agency to explore joint governance of the park.
Chief Mary Duckworth said the funding was welcome news.
People are seen walking on the Ojibway Trail on April 16, 2024. (Travis Fortnum/CTV News Windsor)Sentiments were echoed by other stakeholders, like grassroots advocacy group Friends of Ojibway Prairie.
“It’s fantastic. It’s so exciting,” said Mike Fisher, chair of the group. “When you see that investment, it gives that great sense that this is happening. This is coming to fruition.”
Fisher has been an “official” friend of the park sine 2016, but work towards the National Urban Park designation started years before that.
Kusmierczyk said it’s because of advocates like Fisher and Windsor West MP Brian Masse, the wish looks to be coming true.
“When you’ve got champions like Brian Masse, who’s been fighting for years, this is what happens,” said Kusmierczyk
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
NEW Is there a cost to convenience? Canada approves new cancer immunotherapy treatment
A new cancer treatment recently approved in Canada promises to cut treatment time down to just minutes, but experts have differing opinions on whether it's what's best for patients.
Air Canada walks back new seat selection policy change after backlash
Air Canada has paused a new seat selection fee for travellers booked on the lowest fares just days after implementing it.
DEVELOPING Canada's GDP rises amid expert fears of rate-hike recession
Canada's GDP rose 0.2 per cent in February, driven by a rebound in transportation and warehousing, which saw the largest recorded month-to-month rise in over a year at 1.4 per cent.
Canada's new dental program offering hope of free care to millions but many dentists aren't signed up
A new Canadian dental care program is offering the hope of free care to millions, but while 1.7 million people have signed up for the plan, only about 5,000 dentists have done the same.
Province boots mayor and council in small northern Ont. town out of office
An ongoing municipal strike, court battles and revolt by half of council has prompted the province to oust the mayor and council in Black River-Matheson.
'Fatalities' reported following wrong-way collision on Highway 401, SIU called in: police
Ontario's Special Investigations Unit has been called in following a deadly wrong-way collision on Highway 401 in Whitby on Monday night, say police.
Winner of US$1.3 billion Powerball jackpot is an immigrant from Laos who has cancer
One of the winners of a historic US$1.3 billion Powerball jackpot last month is an immigrant from Laos who has had cancer for eight years and had his latest chemotherapy treatment last week.
King Charles III returns to public duties with a trip to a cancer charity
King Charles III returned to public duties on Tuesday, visiting a cancer treatment charity and beginning his carefully managed comeback after the monarch's own cancer diagnosis sidelined him for three months.
NDP says Ottawa's new grocery task force isn't living up to government promises
The federal government says the task force it created to monitor and investigate grocery retailers' practices has not conducted any probes and doesn't have a mandate to take enforcement action.