Hon. Michael L. MacDonald: Honourable senators, I rise today as critic of Bill C-248, An Act to Amend the Canada National Parks Act (Ojibway National Urban Park of Canada).

This bill proposes to create the Ojibway national urban park in Windsor, Ontario. It is the product of years of effort from Brian Masse, the Member of Parliament for Windsor West, and I first and foremost want to commend him for his passion and determination on this initiative. As you know, colleagues, shepherding a private bill through Parliament can be a challenging task.

You may have recently received an information package from the MP’s office regarding this bill, which I found to be thorough and helpful, and I encourage you to review it if you have not already done so. Senator Boehm, the sponsor of the bill here in this chamber, has just provided us with a detailed overview of the legislation, so I do not intend to speak at length, but I do want to outline why, as critic, I am comfortable and supportive of Bill C-248.

Essentially, this bill is 22 pages of coordinates. There’s not much to it. These coordinates mark the latitudinal and longitudinal boundaries that would be added to Schedule 1 of the Canada National Parks Act, creating the Ojibway national urban park of Canada.

This new national urban park, or NUP, would amalgamate six existing public land areas, including Ojibway Park, Spring Garden Natural Area, Black Oak Heritage Park, Tallgrass Prairie Heritage Park, Ojibway Prairie Provincial Nature Reserve and, finally, Ojibway Shores, a 33-acre green space that is the last remaining undeveloped natural shoreline in the Windsor-Detroit area. If looking on a map, these lands are essentially adjacent to each other in the western area of Windsor and are all already publicly owned.

Together with the Detroit River, the Ojibway NUP would provide for 900 acres of green space in an environmentally sensitive area that is already pressured by industrial development and its role as a transportation hub. The Windsor-Detroit border crossing is already the busiest border crossing between Canada and the United States, and with the Gordie Howe International Bridge set to open in 2025, pressures on the neighbouring ecosystems are bound to increase.

Although we all enjoy parks and green space for their natural beauty and recreational opportunities, these lands also serve a major role in protecting the local flora and fauna. The area we are discussing today constitutes the home of hundreds of rare and endangered species. Many of these species rely on the area for migration and habitat. It is an environmental hotspot that, in my opinion, should be provided the appropriate federal protections.

In a 2017 ecological report entitled Ojibway Shores Natural Heritage Inventory/Evaluation, which looked at the Ojibway Shores area alone, 554 different species of flora and fauna were documented on the land during the study, 28 of which were federally or provincially protected species.

The report adds, “. . . Ojibway Shores is an important stop‑over for migratory birds which includes eight Species at Risk . . . .”

It concludes:

Undertaking this study has provided a unique opportunity to study an unaltered piece of habitat in an otherwise developed area. Despite such close proximity to development and residing in a bi-national Area of Concern . . . Ojibway Shores supports a number of species and likely supports many more living adjacent to the property. Given the species diversity and habitat heterogeneity, this property would be a great candidate for preservation and habitat enhancement.

Furthermore, in a letter endorsing this bill, the environmental organization Wildlands League stated:

Windsor embodies the threats and opportunities that are being faced across Canada’s South. Its remnant Tallgrass Prairie is the most endangered ecosystem in Canada, and there are more rare species than anywhere else in Ontario. It is a biodiversity hotspot within a hotspot. But Tallgrass is also the land cover most resilient to a warming climate and one of the best natural sponges when the skies open up and water rises. This is a natural solution in a city where annual flooding makes insurance almost impossible to obtain.

Colleagues, our national parks are something I think all Canadians treasure, all with uniquely memorable beauty. Banff, Jasper and the Pacific Rim National Park Reserve out west come to mind. Or on the East Coast, I think of Gaspé, Quebec; Gros Morne National Park, Newfoundland; and, of course, Sable Island National Park Reserve and the Cape Breton Highlands National Park, both in Nova Scotia.

Although these lands may be celebrated for their picturesque and quintessentially Canadian landscapes, our national parks are also critical to protecting vulnerable ecosystems, which is why I believe there is growing interest in the establishment of more national urban parks near our ever-expanding and developing urban centres.

Ojibway national urban park would be the second national urban park in the country, following Rouge National Urban Park in Toronto, which I sponsored in this chamber. Parks Canada is currently studying the feasibility of establishing four other national urban parks in other urban areas. National urban parks provide an opportunity to not only preserve the beauty in the natural green space but also provide the protection of habitat for our flora and fauna that are increasingly pressured by nearby urban development.

As I’ve already mentioned, colleagues, all lands that would constitute Ojibway national urban park are already in public ownership. There are no private lands in question, and the current public entities that own the areas that would form this national urban park are all in support of transferring ownership and control to the federal government.

As I mentioned at the outset, the proposed urban park is the culmination of years of efforts by local residents and stakeholders, so allow me to outline the process and support for the project.

The initiative was officially launched in 2019 with a town hall hosted by Mr. Masse to publicly discuss the formation of the Ojibway NUP with local and national organizations, including grassroots groups such as The Friends of Ojibway Prairie, Friends of the Rouge, the Detroit River International Wildlife Refuge, the Wildlands League, scientists and local Indigenous leaders. All Windsor municipal, provincial and federal officials committed to this initiative.

Caldwell First Nation and Chief Duckworth also fully support the establishment of the park. It is also significant to note that it was announced that Ojibway national urban park is to be co‑managed with the Indigenous community.

In terms of municipal support, in 2021, the Windsor city council unanimously endorsed the proposal and have indicated their intent to transfer its lands to the federal government as soon as feasible for Parks Canada.

Also in 2021, the federal government signed a statement of collaboration with the City of Windsor to work towards designating the area as a national urban park and, furthermore, committed $130 million towards the establishment of national urban parks. It was at this point in the process, after years of collaboration and widespread support, that Mr. Masse introduced his bill in the House of Commons in February 2022. Since this time, the Ontario Ministry of the Environment, Conservation and Parks has committed to transferring ownership of Ojibway Prairie Provincial Nature Reserve, one of the six parks that would constitute the NUP, to the federal government.

And, finally, in what Mr. Masse called the “final piece of the puzzle,” Ojibway Shores, the 33-acre parcel of undeveloped land on the shores of the Detroit River, has officially been transferred from the Windsor Port Authority, under Transport Canada, to Environment Canada, allowing for Parks Canada control.

Bill C-248 then passed in the House of Commons at third reading by a margin of 319 to 1.

Colleagues, after due process in the other place, it is now in our hands, and although I speak to you today as critic, I do so in full support of Bill C-248. Given the extensive support that this bill has, including all-party support, I believe it would be prudent of us to act on this bill as quickly as possible and, therefore, I recommend we send it to committee as quickly as possible. Thank you, colleagues.

(On motion of Senator Martin, debate adjourned.)

On the Order:

Resuming debate on the motion of the Honourable Senator Bellemare, seconded by the Honourable Senator Klyne, for the adoption of the fourth report (interim) of the Standing Committee on Rules, Procedures and the Rights of Parliament, entitled Amendments to the Rules, presented in the Senate on February 7, 2023.