The signed collaboration agreement to create a National Urban Park in Windsor was celebrated Monday morning with Minister Karina Gould at Ojibway Park.
While a dollar amount was not committed, the federal government has set aside $130-million for the creation of seven parks throughout Canada.
"We haven't seen the allocation, but we know the roadmap, and that's legislation, so if that gets us there, but the reality is we have to get the legislation to get our own Point Pelee in the City of Windsor. So I am excited about that possibility as we go forward," said Windsor-West MP Brian Masse.
Gould indicated legislation is not the only way forward when developing the National Urban Park system in Canada.
"The hope is that we don't necessarily need legislation for every single urban park that we're creating across the country," said Gould. "The idea is that through these partnerships with different levels of government, with different organizations, different entities that are landowners that we can create something that will manage, protect and preserve the land that will hopefully will become a national urban park."
Masse, who has been advocating for a National Urban Park in the region for years, believes legislation is the best way forward to protect the property from ever being developed.
"Otherwise it will just basically be agreements that can be changed without a democratic process and that's something that, if we are going to invest this money time and energy we would want to have at the end of the day," said Masse.
A map provided by the City of Windsor depicting the land under consideration to become a National Urban Park.
No timeline has been established for consultation or the creation of the park.
