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Concerns for Ojibway National Urban Park with NDP ending agreement with Liberals? · Kvetch & Release

• 0:00
  Speaker 1: I was just looking up on the television set here
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  Speaker 1: in the AAM eight hundred studios. We have it set
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  Speaker 1: to CTV News channel, and I saw that NDP leader
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  Speaker 1: jag Meet Singh was just sitting down with Vashi Capellos
• 0:10
  Speaker 1: talking on power play about the decision to break the
• 0:14
  Speaker 1: Supply and Confidence Agreement earlier today. Jeg Meet Singh was saying, hey, look,
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  Speaker 1: we've come up with a lot of great things with
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  Speaker 1: the federal Liberals that we worked with in the Supply
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  Speaker 1: and Confidence agreement, pharmacare, dental care, a national lunch program.
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  Speaker 1: And the question was, well, what happens to all of
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  Speaker 1: those What if they don't go through? Could they fall apart?
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  Speaker 1: Jeg Meet Singh saying, look, if they fall apart, there's
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  Speaker 1: one person to blame, one person only justin Trudeau, Prime Minister.
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  Speaker 1: But there were follow up questions going, yeah, but you're
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  Speaker 1: the one who's ending this agreement. You're the one who's
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  Speaker 1: bringing us closer to a potential election. Now nothing's guaranteed yet,
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  Speaker 1: he might still vote with the Liberals and nothing might change.
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  Speaker 1: But what popped into my head was we don't have
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  Speaker 1: knowledge about what the concrete nature not. There's gonna be
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  Speaker 1: much concrete at the Ojibway National Urban Park when it
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  Speaker 1: formally launches, And so I started to think, what's going
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  Speaker 1: on there? What might the Friends of Ojibway Prairie be
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  Speaker 1: thinking about this Supply and Confidence agreement ending and what
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  Speaker 1: it means moving forward? Because we have, as we all know,
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  Speaker 1: a parallel National Urban Park process happening right now with
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  Speaker 1: our two Members of Parliament for Windsor Windsor West MP
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  Speaker 1: Brian Massey and Windsor and Windsor to come see MP
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  Speaker 1: Eric Kuzmerchik representing the government. Two different processes. What happens
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  Speaker 1: if a conservative government comes into power? What happens to
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  Speaker 1: our National Urban Park? Joining me right now is the
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  Speaker 1: President of Friends of Ojibway Prairie, Mike Fisher on the line.
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  Speaker 1: Hey Mike, how you doing?
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  Speaker 2: I'm doing well, John, how are you today?
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  Speaker 1: Doing really well? Thank you so much. So, I guess
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  Speaker 1: I just wonder when you heard that the Supply and
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  Speaker 1: Confidence agreement was broke? What was your thought about it
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  Speaker 1: and relating to the National Urban Park process?
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  Speaker 2: Oh? Well, I think is hopefully many of your listeners know.
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  Speaker 2: I mean, it's it's an exciting time for the Jujibway
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  Speaker 2: Prairie complex. We are we have been announced in the
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  Speaker 2: federal funding and there is the Private Members Bill going
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  Speaker 2: through for the creation of Canada's second national Urban park
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  Speaker 2: here in Windsor, the Ojibwei National Urban Park, and there's
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  Speaker 2: been a lot of great process, progress, great movement, but
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  Speaker 2: the challenge is it's it's one of those things, you know,
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  Speaker 2: in terms of the legislation to protect the park, MP
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  Speaker 2: Massey's Bill C two four eighth the Private Members Bill,
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  Speaker 2: if an election is called, the bill essentially dies. So
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  Speaker 2: it's it's it's critically important to get that through before
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  Speaker 2: any election might be called. And then as well as
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  Speaker 2: the work that Parks Canada is doing, so you've got,
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  Speaker 2: as you mentioned, kind of work being done in parallel,
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  Speaker 2: as we're finding over time more and more collaboration from
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  Speaker 2: Parks Canada to get the park open and the Private
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  Speaker 2: Members Bill to protect it and to legislate it. And
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  Speaker 2: it's just one of those things that if it's if
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  Speaker 2: it's not done and an election is called, you don't
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  Speaker 2: really know what the next government might do or what
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  Speaker 2: their what their approach base. So it's critically critically important
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  Speaker 2: we get the legislation passed and we work to get
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  Speaker 2: the park opened while we've got this great opportunity where
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  Speaker 2: you know, we've got support at all levels and government
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  Speaker 2: and everyone's on board.
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  Speaker 1: Well, yeah, because you know, I've I've spent a bunch
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  Speaker 1: of time at black Oak throughout the summer, and I
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  Speaker 1: have come across signage for the National Urban Park throughout
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  Speaker 1: the trails in black Oak, and I thought that was
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  Speaker 1: really cool to just know that Parks Canada is already
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  Speaker 1: on site, is already doing stuff. It's not a process
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  Speaker 1: that is just on paper right now, there's actually people here.
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  Speaker 2: Yeah. Absolutely, So the Ajibwey Shores, the thirty three acres,
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  Speaker 2: the last undeveloped land along the Detroit River shoreline. It
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  Speaker 2: was fantastic, after many, many years of great local advocacy
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  Speaker 2: to see that officially transferred to Parks Canada. So Parks
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  Speaker 2: Canada certainly does have a presence in the Ojibwey Prairie Complex.
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  Speaker 2: There are people here doing the work and keeping an
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  Speaker 2: eye on the property and making management plan. So that's
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  Speaker 2: all certainly fantastic progress. It's really just a matter of
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  Speaker 2: getting it to the finish line and getting it legislated
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  Speaker 2: and created officially as a National Urban Park. So we're
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  Speaker 2: certainly happy to see, you know, the work being done,
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  Speaker 2: but you absolutely have to get it across the finish line,
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  Speaker 2: everything signed and dot it in the legislation officially, so
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  Speaker 2: that we know that you know, what's been decades of
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  Speaker 2: work protecting this absolute national gem, you know, to be
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  Speaker 2: protected for future generations, and you just need to get
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  Speaker 2: that done before an election or the legislation the legislation
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  Speaker 2: would fall now.
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  Speaker 1: I know, friends of Ojibwei Prairie has been working really
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  Speaker 1: diligently on this file of course for a number of years,
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  Speaker 1: trying to advance this forward. But I wonder if this
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  Speaker 1: breaking of the supplying confidence agreement is creating a bit
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  Speaker 1: of an impetus for you to maybe make some more
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  Speaker 1: noise to try to push things forward faster. I'm wondering,
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  Speaker 1: how do you look at getting this across this finish
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  Speaker 1: line as fast as possible now with this new news happening.
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  Speaker 2: Well, I think the biggest thing is collaboration and getting
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  Speaker 2: everyone on board in terms of you know, working with
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  Speaker 2: pass towards co management and agreements with local stakehore holders,
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  Speaker 2: with the government with Parks Canada, and it's really just
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  Speaker 2: seeing everyone work together to get this done and get
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  Speaker 2: it done the right way and now in a timely manner.
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  Speaker 2: As you know, as you mentioned, an election potentially could
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  Speaker 2: happen at any time and really really throw things in limbo.
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  Speaker 2: So you know what, we've been really encouraging. We've heard
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  Speaker 2: some promising things in terms of Parks Canada and MP
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  Speaker 2: Massy with his Private Members Bill working collaboratively together to
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  Speaker 2: see what they can do it. It's currently in the
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  Speaker 2: Senate at the Environment Committee and we're hopeful that soon
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  Speaker 2: when they begin sitting again in the fall, they'll be
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  Speaker 2: taking another look at the bill and amending it to
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  Speaker 2: move it forward. So we're hearing some positive progress there
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  Speaker 2: where we're sides are looking to work together and collaborate
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  Speaker 2: and say, hey, we need to get this done. It's
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  Speaker 2: been a commitment to the community that this park will
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  Speaker 2: get done. So you know, we're certainly looking at avenues
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  Speaker 2: to continue to encourage at collaboration and just so how
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  Speaker 2: much the community wants this park and how important is
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  Speaker 2: to see it happen. We just so you know, for
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  Speaker 2: for all the things that Windsor's known for, it's so
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  Speaker 2: important and so special to be Canada's second national urban parking.
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  Speaker 1: Absolutely, so, I mean, we would love to see it
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  Speaker 1: happen to become the second one would be great. I
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  Speaker 1: just wonder, then, like what are we expecting in terms
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  Speaker 1: of like when could this thing actually open up if
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  Speaker 1: there aren't any hiccups. Let's say we get all the
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  Speaker 1: signatures done, like when when is the completion date for
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  Speaker 1: the grand opening.
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  Speaker 2: Well, I think that's where you can run into a
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  Speaker 2: little bit of a challenge because I think parks can
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  Speaker 2: have been looking at sometime in twenty twenty five. And again,
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  Speaker 2: there are different elements to this, because there is the
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  Speaker 2: legislation that we're hoping, we'd love to see before the
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  Speaker 2: end of the year. The legislation passed through through the
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  Speaker 2: Senate and then as needed with amendments to the House
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  Speaker 2: of Commons, and we know what the parks can and
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  Speaker 2: the consultation they've been doing, they were looking at next year.
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  Speaker 2: But again, I mean that's the challee, right, there's a
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  Speaker 2: difference between say October of next year or near and
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  Speaker 2: closer to the end of the year, or if an
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  Speaker 2: election is called sometime earlier, perhaps in the spring, at
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  Speaker 2: budget time of twenty twenty five. So you know, there's
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  Speaker 2: a little bit of a race on now I'll say
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  Speaker 2: maybe a bit more than a little bit of a
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  Speaker 2: race on to make sure that we get this done.
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  Speaker 2: It's something in the community it's been calling for and
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  Speaker 2: the government's committed to doing. So we need to make
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  Speaker 2: sure that you know this happens before an election is called,
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  Speaker 2: to make sure you know we're awing the commitments and
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  Speaker 2: we're doing what our community has been calling for for decades.
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  Speaker 1: Well, everyone, you hear that. It's an all hands on
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  Speaker 1: deck request here to make sure everyone is on the
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  Speaker 1: same page when it comes to Ojibwa National Urban Park. Mike,
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  Speaker 1: I want to thank you so much for joining us
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  Speaker 1: and breaking it down and I have a feeling that
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  Speaker 1: we'll be talking again soon in a couple of weeks
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  Speaker 1: to get a few more updates about this.
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  Speaker 2: Thanks so much, John, really really appreciate the opportunity to
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  Speaker 2: talk about the National ERIP Park. Very important to us in.
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  Speaker 1: The community, absolutely and we hope we see that reflected.
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  Speaker 1: Everybody wants it. Mike Fisher is the president of Friends
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  Speaker 1: of Ojibwey Prairie. What do you think about the National
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  Speaker 1: Ojibwe National Urban Park? Folks, give us a call or
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  Speaker 1: a text do you want to see this thing happen
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  Speaker 1: as quickly as possible? I know I do. I want
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  Speaker 1: to see us become the second city with a National
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  Speaker 1: Urban Park