TORONTO – The Ontario Public Service Employees Union is calling on the McGuinty
government to triple its funding for Ontario’s provincial parks.
“Ontario now has 329 parks, 292 conservation reserves, and 10 wilderness
areas,” says OPSEU president Warren (Smokey) Thomas. “I am sure few Ontario
taxpayers would believe that, this year, the province’s contribution to run this
system is only $15.3 million.
“The province gets three dollars in taxes from our parks for every dollar it
puts in,” said Thomas. “We are calling on the McGuinty government to triple its
contribution to $46 million a year.”
Ontario’s park system raises 78 per cent of its total budget from user fees
and various other charges, the highest rate by far of any province in Canada.
“In 2005, user fees for Ontario parks jumped. In 2006, the province cut
summer park staff. In 2007, user fees jumped again,” said Thomas. “This is not
sustainable. It’s time to fund our parks properly.”
After a 19 per cent cut to summer jobs in parks last year, Thomas said the
most immediate need was for more park staff, including:
- more park wardens to patrol wilderness areas and keep campgrounds and
day-use areas safe; · more maintenance staff to clean bathrooms, pick up
garbage, maintain trails, and cut down the dead trees that pose a hazard to
campers;
- more natural heritage educators to teach children and adults about
nature; and · more administrative staff to help visitors find campsites, buy
supplies, and find their way around parks.
“Premier McGuinty has made a lot of ‘green’ announcements in the past few
weeks, but so far we have seen nothing to boost the capacity of the two
ministries that deal directly with environmental protection,” said Thomas. “The
Environmental Commissioner of Ontario has made it clear that the Ministry of
Natural Resources and the Ministry of the Environment need more money, and our
provincial parks are a great place to start.”
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