Ojibway to be designated a national urban park this year

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It’s official.

Steven Guilbeault, federal Minister of Environment and Climate Change, announced Saturday Windsor will see an Ojibway National Urban Park open this year.

“We’re officially establishing the national park, which many partners here, the City of Windsor, First Nations, (MP) Irek (Kusmierczyk) and many others have worked on for many, many years now,” Guilbeault said during a ceremony at the Ojibway Nature Centre.

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“It will become a reality. It will become a new national urban park.”

The long awaited announcement includes $36.1 million in funding from Ottawa over five years to establish the park, as well as $4.6 million per year to support its operations, the minister confirmed.

Parks Canada will oversee the new urban park.

“This funding will be a driver of tourism and job creation, connect people with nature in an urban setting and advance reconciliation with First Nations,” Guilbeault added.

A jubilant Kusmierczyk said the funding would protect and strengthen the park.

“Ojibway, which was a local and regional park, is now a national park that we’re sharing with all Canadians from coast to coast to coast,” Kusmierczyk said.

“With it comes not only federal resources to protect and strengthen the park and strengthen that experience here, but it also comes with expertise.

“Over 100 years of expertise of Parks Canada in running a national park, the relationship with First Nations, the relationships with stakeholders that we’re bringing on a national level,” he said.

“That’s what’s exciting about the fact we will have, this year, an Ojibway National Urban Park open and operating here in Windsor-Essex.”

More to come.

jkotsis@postmedia.com

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