Summer fun
marred
by cuts to parks
Not everyone has a summer
cottage. In fact, far more people head to our provincial parks each
summer. They attract more than 10 million visitors each year.
Ontario parks were once among
the finest in the world, due in no small part to the hard work and
dedication of parks staff. But over the past 10 years, the Ministry of
Natural Resources has been used as a cutting board by successive
governments.
Cuts have affected park
wardens, natural heritage educators, maintenance, park store staff and
administration, including fee collection.
At the start of this season,
the Ministry announced more staffing reductions equivalent to 226 summer
jobs for students and seasonal workers. This is a 19 per cent reduction
compared to 2005, and will have a negative effect on wildlife protection
and park services.
And people are paying more for
poorer services: Ontario’s 319 provincial parks are already 80 per cent
funded by user fees -- the highest cost recovery rate of any park system
in Canada.
It’s time the McGuinty
Liberals kept their promise to restore public services, including our
parks.
Let’s turn up the heat this
summer: I encourage everyone to visit
saveontarioparks.ca and have your
say.
In solidarity,
Leah Casselman
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