Ms. Kendra Couling A/Senior…

Ms. Kendra Couling
A/Senior Park Planner
Ontario Parks – Southeast Parks Zone
Ministry of Environment, Conservation and Parks
300 Water Street, 4th Floor
Peterborough ON K9J 3C7

Dear Ms. Couling:
Subject: Environmental Registry of Ontario Policy Proposal 019-9209
Uxbridge Provincial Park Preliminary Park Management Plan

Please be in receipt of this submission from the Schad Foundation regarding the current consultation process for the preliminary management plan for Uxbridge Provincial Park.

The Schad Foundation has long been an ardent supporter of both the concept of urban class provincial parks in Ontario and the establishment of Uxbridge Provincial Park. We believe that such parks can play an invaluable role of supporting ready public access to nature and outdoor recreation in close proximity to Ontario’s urban populations.

We have reviewed the preliminary park management plan and we are very much in support of this well written document. There are a number of key sections of the plan which we are particularly supportive of including:

• 1.1 Boundary: explicit recognition of the opportunity for Ontario Parks to acquire and add new parcels to the Park over time
• 3.2 Vision: the four components provide for an excellent and well rounded vision statement for this Park
• 3.3. Objectives: strong management direction for this new Park, including a series of appropriately scoped and well defined set of recreational objectives
• 7.1.1 Land Management: opportunities for future additions to the Park through acquisitions and donations and a strong commitment to continued collaboration with municipal governments and local conservation authorities and
• 7.3.1 Infrastructure: maximizing the outdoor recreational and nature appreciation priority of the Park by limiting development to trails, a new visitor centre and required vehicular parking areas.

We believe that this preliminary park management park helps to deliver on the excellent and ever growing opportunity that Uxbridge Provincial park represents and we encourage Ontario Parks to approve and to move to implementation of the park plan at the earliest opportunity. The Schad Foundation looks forward to continuing to support the work of the Ontario government to establish new and expand existing provincial parks and conservation reserves – including the tremendous promise and opportunity that urban class provincial parks can play across Ontario.

Thank you for the opportunity to comment. Should your office have any questions on this submission, please do not hesitate to reach out to myself at your convenience.

Your truly,

Peter Kendall
Executive Director
The Schad Foundation