Category Archives: Rouge National Urban Park

Letter to Ontario’s Premier Wynn RE Rouge National Urban Park

Support letter for Rouge National Urban Park-1

This important letter to the Premier urges her and the Ontario Government to complete the transfer of Provincial lands to the new Rouge National Urban Park in order to complete the agreement previously signed by all parties connected with the new National Park.

Noonan’s Notes

Noonan Feb 15Noonan  woods Feb 15

Larry Noonan conducts weekly hikes in the Rouge Valley and experiences wonderful winter scenery and active winter bird life as noted by his skilled use of a camera…

PARKS CANADA HIRES PARK WARDENS FOR ROUGE NATIONAL URBAN PARK

3hECNS_RougeRiverMouth0220_ContentThe mouth of the Rouge at Lake Ontario in February

PARKS CANADA has hired two fully trained Park Wardens to enforce the Park rules and offer significantly more protection than has been previously possible. Poaching, dogs running wildlife, refuse dumping and the like will not be tolerated as these two plus a third person is put place. The two Wardens are fully trained at RCMP Regina and will offer the fullest protection possible to the natural resources of the Park.

SENATE-Rouge National Urban Park Hearing

On March 10th the Energy, Environment and Natural Resources Committee of the Senate of Canada will meet to hear submissions from the following groups:

-REGIONAL MUNICIPALITY OF YORK, Naural Heritage & Forestry dept

-CANADIAN PARKS & WILDERNESS SOCIETY

-FRIENDS OF THE ROUGE WATERSHED (not connected with the Friends of Rouge National Urban Park, or this web site)

…to discuss the merits or not of the current Rouge National Urban Park legislation

Rouge Nature Walks

rouge-nature-walk-febRegularly scheduled and organized nature walks can be enjoyed this winter at the Rouge National Urban Park site. A trail system description and map is available .

Proper clothing is recommended, bring water in a reusable container and get ready for fun. You never know what kind of wildlife you might see. Call 416-264-2020, or email rouge@pc.gc.ca to plug in to adventure.

Rouge Park, Why This Web Site?

A small group calling themselves Friends of the Rouge National Urban Park have re-constituted themselves as a group to help along the continued establishment and operation of ROUGE NATIONAL URBAN PARK as it was envisioned and agreed to be by the City of Toronto, City of Markham, the Province of Ontario and the Government of Canada, several community groups and many individuals. Third reading in Parliament of Bill C-60, a bill to establish the park,  passed in the House  of Commons earlier in 2015. The Bill has passed the Senate. And the Prime Minister of Canada, the Rt. Hon. Stephen Harper, announced in July 2015 of an additional large tract of federally-owned lands to be transferred to the Park, all of which is now being managed by Parks Canada from their offices in the Rouge.

The Hon. Pauline Browes, the Hon.Peter Kent, the Hon. Michael Chong, all former national Canadian Cabinet Ministers with an environmental bent, along with Alan Wells, former Rouge Park Alliance Chair,  Councillors, Glenn DeBaermaeker, Ron Moeser and Corneliu Chisu, M.P. are leading a larger group of committed Rouge National Urban Park groups and individual supporters to see this project to its early completion.

One wrinkle in the project is the requirement for the Government of Ontario to turn over to Parks Canada those lands owned by the province and previously committed to this exciting project, but not yet turned over to the Park due to some unnecessary provincially-based political mis-manouverings!

The above-noted committee is now calling upon people to press this issue with the Ontario Provincial Government and its members so that proper planning, environmental management and public enjoyment might take place in an orderly way to make the most of this wonderful wild public national park in the midst of this largely populated urban centre.

There will be more and frequent information posted on this web site as we move along. So please join us when you can on these pages and send us your thoughts to help with this ‘bit of wild in the City’.

For more information contact:

The Hon. Pauline Browes, former Minister of State for the Environment

browes@rogers.com

Larry Noonan, environmental activist and hike leader

larrynoonan@rogers.com