TORONTO — The David Suzuki Foundation supports the creation of the future Rouge National Park and cautiously welcomes today's funding announcement by the federal government. As Canada's first urban National Park and one of the largest urban parks in the world, Rouge National Park will provide immense health and economic benefits for communities throughout the Greater Toronto Area for generations to come.
"Today's $140 million funding announcement to establish Rouge National Park is the next important step towards creating the urban jewel of Canada's historic park system — within 100 kilometres of 20% of Canada's population," said Dr Faisal Moola, Toronto-based director of the David Suzuki Foundation. "However, we remain concerned that the federal government is at the same time weakening environmental laws and laying-off key scientists and technical staff whose expertise will be necessary to ensure that Canada's protected areas don't become merely "paper parks."
The proposed Rouge National Park is a 6,000-hectare green swath of wetlands, fields, farms and forests straddling the border of Toronto, Scarborough and Markham, following the Rouge River watershed from the Ontario Greenbelt to Lake Ontario. The proposed National Park area has a rich cultural, agricultural and ecological history is home to two National Historic Sites, the existing municipal Rouge Park and more than 1,000 plant, animal and bird species.
For more information please contact:
Jode Roberts, Communications, David Suzuki Foundation
647.456.9752
jroberts@davidsuzuki.org
www.davidsuzuki.org/rouge
