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BUSINESS AS USUAL IN ALGONQUIN. PHOTO: BETH KENNEDY


One less thing to pick up off the fl oor.


Less clutter. Fewer trees.


New Law of the Land


ONTARIO’S PROVINCIAL PARKS RECEIVE PROPER PROTECTION, UP TO A POINT


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LAST AUTUMN, Ontario proclaimed a new law to protect its 630 provincial parks and conservation reserves. Most conser- vationists see it as an overdue update of what was a sorely inadequate previous law, while at the same time questioning if the government has gone far enough. T e new Ontario Parks and Conserva-


tion Reserves Act improves on its 1954 predecessor by legally enshrining the concept of “ecological integrity,” requir- ing park management in most parks to promote biodiversity and keep develop- ers out as a matter of law. Evan Ferrari, director of CPAWS-Wildlands League, lauds the act as a marked improvement. “T e old act didn’t specifi cally prohibit


mining, logging and hydroelectric devel- opment. It was more about accommodat- ing development,” says Ferrari. “T e new act should change the whole manage- ment paradigm.” T e idea that parks need to protect the


integrity of their ecosystem had been missing from the provincial bureaucra- cy until now. T e phrase was borrowed from Parks Canada and means that park superintendents will have to fi le a “state of the park” report every fi ve years. More importantly, logging, mining


and hydroelectric threats in provincial parks and conservation reserves are now


Events FEBRUARY 8–9


Wilderness Canoe Symposium Toronto, ON


wildernesscanoe.ca MARCH 1


Quiet Water Symposium Lansing, MI


www.quietwatersymposium.org 10 ■ C ANOE ROOT S spring 2008


MARCH 7–9 Canoecopia Madison, WI


www.rutabaga.com/canoecopia MAY 2–4


Georgian Bay Kayak and Canoe Festival Nobel, ON


www.whitesquall.com


virtually outlawed—with a few impor- tant caveats that canoeists will be hard- pressed to miss. Algonquin Provincial Park remains


the notable exception to the province’s no-logging regulations, with 78 per cent of Canada’s most popular canoe area re- maining open to logging. Further, any development that was approved before the act came into force will be completed, such as hydroelectric dams on the White River in northern Ontario’s White Lake Provincial Park. According to Dr. Bob Payne of Lake-


head University’s School of Outdoor Recreation, Parks and Tourism, the new legislation will be ineff ective until the province bolsters its parks budget. In 2007, Ontario spent a measly $15 mil- lion on parks—compared to the $75 million it spends annually to maintain the province’s 62,000 kilometres of log- ging roads. “Without more money and staff , I


don’t think we’re going to see much of a change,” says Payne. “It’s just the usual smoke and mirrors.” For paddlers in Ontario, the question


is whether something that is a drastic improvement on a historically weak parks law is truly good news, or just good enough.—Conor Mihell


EVENTS SPONSORED BY MAY 16–18


Rapid’s Single Blade Symposium


Palmer Rapids, ON www.rapidmedia.com


For our full listing of paddling events, go to www.rapidmedia.com


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