Funds will be used to manage and operate the
21 square kilometres of new lands
recently committed to Rouge National Urban Park
TORONTO, Aug. 1, 2015 /CNW/ - Today, Paul Calandra, Parliamentary Secretary to the
Prime Minister and for Intergovernmental Affairs and Member of
Parliament for Oak Ridges—Markham, and Corneliu Chisu, Member of Parliament for
Pickering-Scarborough East, on behalf of the Honourable Leona
Aglukkaq, Minister of the Environment and Minister responsible for
Parks Canada, announced a significant new investment in Rouge
National Urban Park. The Government of Canada is contributing an additional
$26.8 million over six years and
$3 million annually thereafter to
operate and manage the 21 square kilometres of new lands recently
announced by the Prime Minister on July 11,
2015.
The new lands, located in the City of
Pickering and Township of Uxbridge, include a diverse mix of natural,
cultural and agricultural lands. The park's expansion will increase
the boundaries of Canada's first
national urban park by more than 36 per cent, making it one of the
largest and best protected urban parks in the world, spanning 79.5
square kilometres once fully established.
Parks Canada will use the
additional funding for the conservation and restoration of the
Rouge's natural, cultural and agricultural resources and the
protection and recovery of endangered species as well as to manage
and improve existing facilities and develop new educational and
visitor facilities, build trails, expand the park's law enforcement
capacity, in addition to investing in community stewardship
initiatives and visitor opportunities.
With today's announcement, the Government of Canada's full investment dating back to 2012
now totals $170.5 million over 10
years for Rouge National Urban Park's establishment and protection,
and $10.6 million annually for its
continuing management and operation.
Quick Facts
- Rouge National Urban Park, is 19 times larger than Stanley Park in Vancouver, 22 times larger than Central Park
in New York, and close to 50 times
larger than Toronto's High
Park.
- Parks Canada, in collaboration
with farmers, community organizations, First Nations, and
conservation groups, has already begun work on 15 ecosystem
restoration projects on lands in the Markham portion of Rouge National Urban Park,
including aquatic habitat restoration along four tributaries of the
Little Rouge Creek that will lead to improvements in the health of
the park's ecosystems and agricultural lands.
- Rouge National Urban Park is home to a unique combination of
natural, cultural and agricultural features –1,700 species of
plants, birds, fish, mammals, insects, reptiles and amphibians;
more than 10,000 years of human history; and large tracts of Class
1 farmland, the rarest, most fertile and endangered in the
country.
- Rouge National Urban Park's close proximity to 20 per cent of
Canada's population will give more
Canadians than ever before the opportunity to experience a national
park and learn about and connect with our country's natural,
cultural and agricultural heritage.
Quotes
"With its historic commitment to the Rouge National Urban Park,
the Harper Government has taken the only real action of any
government in the last 40 years to protect and respect the rights
of farmers on these lands while also instituting the strongest
environmental protections in history. Agricultural protections for
the Rouge Valley have been a personal priority of mine even before
I was first elected. It makes me incredibly proud that the Rouge
National Urban Park will now remain a critical element of
Canada's significant landscape of
national protected areas in perpetuity."
- Paul Calandra, Parliamentary
Secretary to the Prime Minister and for Intergovernmental Affairs
and Member of Parliament for Oak Ridges—Markham
"The transfer of the additional lands in Pickering and Uxbridge to Parks Canada was a welcome
decision by the community. The environmental protection of
these lands, the protection of farm lands and the vision to connect
trails from Lake Ontario to the
Oak Ridges Moraine and then through Uxbridge and onto the
Trans Canada Trail is all very exciting."
- Corneliu Chisu, Member of
Parliament for Pickering-Scarborough East
Associated Links
- Government of Canada Announces Expansion of Rouge National
Urban Park
- Parks Canada announces
$15 million in conservation and
restoration projects in Rouge National Urban Park
- Top 10 Conservation Benefits of Rouge National Urban Park
SOURCE Parks Canada