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Premier Doug Ford's Ontario

Very quietly, there is a survey out on the proposed new provincial park near Uxbridge......

Most intriguing to me is that the land understudy is much larger than what was initially suggested:

1687383670183.png



Map showing area being considered for the creation of a new urban provincial park in the Township of Uxbridge. The study area is 10,950 hectares (more than 27,000 acres) of land located 25 kilometers east of Newmarket and 50 kilometers northeast of Toronto.


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Also, looks like I hit the general area of the park pretty well.

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Direct link to survey:

Survey: Urban provincial parks | EngageON

Share your feedback on a proposed urban provincial park in the Township of Uxbridge, and tell us what you believe an urban park could be.This survey should take approximately 10 minutes to complete.Review this map of the proposed study area under consideration.
engage.ontario.ca engage.ontario.ca

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Not long, the gist is are you in favour; is there anything you would oppose being in the park, any other thoughts.

My take. No snowmobiling; yes to almost everything else; camping would be great if the park is large enough to support that and achieve ecological goals. The larger the park the better.

Finish the thought and examine making it a seemless connection to Rouge Park.
 
We're on a Provincial Park theme......Minister Piccinni has an announcement this morning about turning Big Wind Provincial Park into an operating park.

By way of explanation, many Provincial Parks are non-operating which means they lack any facilities to speak of (no washrooms, no maintained trails, no camp sites etc etc.)

Typically they are open to the public to use (there is usually an informal trail network or you can just hike through the back country); you can also fish and sometimes back country camp.

An operating park will, needless to say, have formalized facilities, almost certainly have at least one set of washrooms, and access is likely paid, at least during peak-season.

****

The Star has a preview article, behind the paywall: https://www.thestar.com/politics/pr...d-camp-sites-heres-what-you-need-to-know.html

The existing park is 5,000 acres, I do hope they are intended to enlarge it (not in the article), as the proposed 250 site campground will take up 5%+ of the existing park. The park will also feature 25 Yurts/cabins.

The new park will start 'construction' in the fall of this year and be open for the 2026 camping season.

That may seem long, but worth noting they will have to bring water service into the site and electricity, likely over a few km.

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Existing Park Info:

Welcome to Bigwind Lake Provincial Park

All the information you need to know about Bigwind Lake Provincial Park.
www.ontarioparks.com

A context map:

1687439145229.png


This is a slightly more close-up Satellite view:

1687439218071.png


As you can see there is a rudimentary road system into the park. Note that this shot does encompass lands beyond those of the existing park.
 
Northern Light said:
Very quietly, there is a survey out on the proposed new provincial park near Uxbridge......

Most intriguing to me is that the land understudy is much larger than what was initially suggested:

View attachment 486978


Map showing area being considered for the creation of a new urban provincial park in the Township of Uxbridge. The study area is 10,950 hectares (more than 27,000 acres) of land located 25 kilometers east of Newmarket and 50 kilometers northeast of Toronto.


**

Also, looks like I hit the general area of the park pretty well.

**

Direct link to survey:

Survey: Urban provincial parks | EngageON

Share your feedback on a proposed urban provincial park in the Township of Uxbridge, and tell us what you believe an urban park could be.This survey should take approximately 10 minutes to complete.Review this map of the proposed study area under consideration.
engage.ontario.ca engage.ontario.ca

**

Not long, the gist is are you in favour; is there anything you would oppose being in the park, any other thoughts.

My take. No snowmobiling; yes to almost everything else; camping would be great if the park is large enough to support that and achieve ecological goals. The larger the park the better.

Finish the thought and examine making it a seemless connection to Rouge Park.
Click to expand...
I can only assume that any final park footprint would be somewhere in the study area rather that all of it. There's a lot of privately-owned property, including farms and primary residences, in there.
 
lenaitch said:
I can only assume that any final park footprint would be somewhere in the study area rather that all of it. There's a lot of privately-owned property, including farms and primary residences, in there.
Click to expand...

Study areas do look beyond prospective park boundaries in order to consider management/regulation, and provide for an effective park.

That said, the initial land holdings here (possibly include several TRCA and Town of Uxbridge properties aren't all seamlessly connected, I imagine consideration may be given to acquire some lands to connect the disparate pieces.

Also worth adding, private lands can be included within a provincial park. We still have cottage owners/lessees in Algonquin and Rondeau last I checked, and there are operating farms within Rouge Park.
 
Northern Light said:
Study areas do look beyond prospective park boundaries in order to consider management/regulation, and provide for an effective park.

That said, the initial land holdings here (possibly include several TRCA and Town of Uxbridge properties aren't all seamlessly connected, I imagine consideration may be given to acquire some lands to connect the disparate pieces.

Also worth adding, private lands can be included within a provincial park. We still have cottage owners/lessees in Algonquin and Rondeau last I checked, and there are operating farms within Rouge Park.
Click to expand...
I'm aware. Pocket of private holdings within parks is not uncommon, but I imagine it can get quite complex when it is anything other than farm land or bush lots and gets into private residences and commercial properties. I'm not certain but I think the private holdings in Algonquin are leases of some sort not actually freehold title.

A zoom into the Coppins Corners area (Regional Rd. 1 and 21) is an example, and the study area buts right up into the Uxbridge 'urban area'.

Buying up swaths of private land wouldn't be cheap; although they do like doing for highways so who knows.
 
lenaitch said:
I'm aware. Pocket of private holdings within parks is not uncommon, but I imagine it can get quite complex when it is anything other than farm land or bush lots and gets into private residences and commercial properties. I'm not certain but I think the private holdings in Algonquin are leases of some sort not actually freehold title.

A zoom into the Coppins Corners area (Regional Rd. 1 and 21) is an example, and the study area buts right up into the Uxbridge 'urban area'.

Buying up swaths of private land wouldn't be cheap; although they do like doing for highways so who knows.
Click to expand...
Agreed, buying up privately owned land is not cheap… any info who owns it or if they are connected to the Ford friends and family circus?
 
Vacant land perhaps, I think a lot would depend on zoning. Having multiple plots of permanent housing within a park is certainly do-able, but does complicate matters. It could go one of two ways; "located within a Provincial Park" as a positive aspect on a real estate listing, or "located within a Provincial Park" as an indication that land use, building permits, allowable uses, etc. might be restricted and therefore reducing the market value. I see potential legal action arguing 'constructive expropriation' if that is even a legal concept.

I'm not against the parks. In particular, an operating Provincial Park in Muskoka is sorely needed. I just think the more it intermingles with residential housing, the more it gets complicated in terms of municipal service provision, law enforcement, fire protection, etc. Heck, right now, if your dogs runs under the fence, it is probably a bylaw infraction; if you are surrounded by PP, it is now a provincial offence.

They would do well to avoid having the park look like the border between Belgium and The Netherlands:


Belgium-Netherlands%2C+Baarle+Nassau+Map.png
 
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It is always 'interesting' to see what a government (any government) puts out on a Friday, especially one before a long weekend. And here we are;

‘Meaningless patronage’: Ford government quietly brings back special title for lawyers and gives it to a lot of Tory loyalists​

"The Ford government is once again facing accusations of patronage for quietly bringing back a special designation for lawyers and awarding it to numerous Tory politicians, staffers and loyalists.

In a press release issued late Friday afternoon before the long weekend, the provincial government said it was reinstituting the honorary title of “King’s Counsel” to mark King Charles’s coronation in May.

The designation — which carries no special privilege aside from allowing lawyers to put the initials “K.C.” next to their name — is “given to lawyers who have demonstrated a commitment to the pursuit of legal excellence in service to the Crown, the public and their communities,” according to the release.

The Ontario government famously stopped handing them out under former Liberal premier David Peterson in the 1980s — when the titles were known as Queen’s Counsel during the reign of Queen Elizabeth II — because they had become a patronage tool.

Peterson told the Star Saturday he was “shocked by the effrontery” of the Tories’ decision, saying his government had scrapped the designation because it had become “corrupted.""

See: https://www.thestar.com/news/gta/20...-and-gives-it-to-a-lot-of-tory-loyalists.html

Though the whole idea stinks, it seems VERY strange that Caroline Mulroney, who is not a lawyer, got one!
 
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DSC said:
It is always 'interesting' to see what a government (any government) puts out on a Friday, especially one before as long weekend. And here we are;

‘Meaningless patronage’: Ford government quietly brings back special title for lawyers and gives it to a lot of Tory loyalists​

"The Ford government is once again facing accusations of patronage for quietly bringing back a special designation for lawyers and awarding it to numerous Tory politicians, staffers and loyalists.

In a press release issued late Friday afternoon before the long weekend, the provincial government said it was reinstituting the honorary title of “King’s Counsel” to mark King Charles’s coronation in May.

The designation — which carries no special privilege aside from allowing lawyers to put the initials “K.C.” next to their name — is “given to lawyers who have demonstrated a commitment to the pursuit of legal excellence in service to the Crown, the public and their communities,” according to the release.

The Ontario government famously stopped handing them out under former Liberal premier David Peterson in the 1980s — when the titles were known as Queen’s Counsel during the reign of Queen Elizabeth II — because they had become a patronage tool.

Peterson told the Star Saturday he was “shocked by the effrontery” of the Tories’ decision, saying his government had scrapped the designation because it had become “corrupted.""

See: https://www.thestar.com/news/gta/20...-and-gives-it-to-a-lot-of-tory-loyalists.html

Though the whole idea stinks, it seems VERY strange that Caroline Mulroney, who is not a lawyer, got one!
Click to expand...
She did graduate from a prestigious university and has a degree, however she never obtained a Canadian law degree or has passed the bar. Curious how she was eligible to receive the KC, but then again, Cons will be Cons.
 
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