Motion to transfer ownership of Ojibway reserve defeated
A trail on the Ojibway Prairie Provincial Nature Reserve in Windsor, Ont., on Monday, Oct. 7, 2019. (Melanie Borrelli / CTV Windsor)
Efforts to transfer ownership of the Ojibway Prairie Provincial Nature Reserve to Parks Canada to help create a national urban park has been sidelined.
Windsor West MPP Lisa Gretzky tabled a private member’s motion forward Tuesday that would see the ownership transferred.
On Wednesday, the government voted down the motion.
“Creating Ojibway National Urban Park is an important environmental project for our community,” Gretzky said in a news release. “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 said the goal of transferring ownership of the reserve would allow for a “cohesive, federally protected urban park.”
The effort has been backed by city council, Caldwell First Nation as well as 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 park would include the current reserve, Spring Garden Natural Area, Black Oak Heritage Park, the Tallgrass Prairie Park and Ojibway Shores.
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