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A neighborhood MPP’s non-public member’s invoice to introduce an city terrain classification to give protection to provincially vital city inexperienced areas cleared its 2d studying on Thursday.
MPP Andrew Dowie (PC — Windsor-Tecumseh), who may be an laborer to the minister of the Order, Conservation and Terrains, presented Invoice 193 within the Ontario legislature previous in Might.
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If handed, the invoice would carve out a possibility for the Ontario’s grounds device, which covers greater than 78,000 sq. kilometres of land, to incorporate herbal city subjects.
“Provincially significant biodiversity can be found in urban areas across Ontario,” mentioned Dowie, “and these sites deserve a home in Ontario’s Provincial Parks system.
The Provincial Parks and Conservation Reserves Amendment Act would create an urban provincial park classification — extending official protection, for the first time, to provincially significant biodiverse areas located within or near large urban areas.
Under the proposed bill, the urban park classification could be applied to parks within 50 kilometres of communities with more than 200,000 people.
A press release shared by Dowie’s office Thursday said the classification would help protect significant biodiversity from future development, while also maintaining public access to nature-based recreation activities.
“Protecting and managing the beauty of our naturalized spaces like Ojibway is something we can all get behind,” Dowie mentioned.
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Windsor was once one among six communities decided on by means of Terrains Canada to determine a community of nationwide city grounds.
Dowie’s invoice comes months nearest the Ford govt introduced preliminary passion in together with the Ojibway Prairie Provincial Nature Hold in Windsor’s proposed Ojibway Nationwide City Terrain.
Right through a Senate committee assembly terminating presen on MP Brian Masse’s invoice to bake Windsor’s nationwide city terrain into law, Dowie introduced the province won’t exit till a land switch is negotiated with Terrains Canada.
Invoice 193 will now go to the Status Committee of the Internal for attention earlier than turning back the legislative meeting for a 3rd studying.
mmazak@postmedia.com
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