The MP for Windsor West is asking the environment minister for clarity on creation of the Ojibway National Urban Park after calling the government's latest announcement 'misleading.'
New Democrat Brian Masse has sent a letter to Environment Minister Steven Guilbeault asking for more information on the status of creating the park.
Guilbeault visited Windsor on March 8 to announce $36.1 million in funding for the park, along with $4.6 million in annual operating funds, with the government indicating that the funding will help establish the park by the end of 2025.
Masse argues that the funding was already approved in the 2024 budget and that the park consists of just one 33-acre parcel of land-Ojibway Shores-which is only three per cent of the proposed park in Masse's private member's bill, Bill C-248, and even less than the Liberal government's own proposed park size.
Masse says there's lots of confusion because they don't even know what the new policy is to create this park.
"This is a double cross in many respects because we've been working, and I'm happy to release all of our information about the times we've met with this minister's staff and Parks Canada and everyone else, and he pops up to do a reannouncement, and he's back to a public policy that we don't even know the rules of engagement on," he says.
Masse says when the minister decides to do that path of choosing to basically tear up all the work we've been doing, that's concerning.
"That's why I write him back in the letter, which you'll have a copy of, asking him what the intentions of that are very explicit to put him on the record and why he's deviated from all the work that was done," he says.
Masse's private member's bill passed the House of Commons before being stalled in the Senate when Parliament was prorogued.
Masse says there's two ways to protect the sites and move the park forward, including unanimous consent if they do go back to Parliament.
"The second was if they were really sincere about this, they could take my legislation, which is also just changing geography points that actually include the land into the Park Canada overall master plan following all the rules, regulations, and so forth, and do that as an order in council; they can try and see about doing it that way, which would also provide another path to get this done," he says.
There are five other parcels of land that Masse's private member's bill would include Ojibway Park, Tallgrass Prairie Heritage Park, Black Oak Heritage Park, Spring Garden Natural Area, and Ojibway Prairie Provincial Nature Reserve.