This consultation was open from:
July 25, 2025
to September 11, 2025
Decision summary
We have removed small areas of land from French River and Grundy Lake provincial parks to support the Ministry of Transportation’s expansion of Highway 69.
Decision details
We have amended the boundaries of French River and Grundy Lake provincial parks to support the Ministry of Transportation’s (MTO) expansion of Highway 69.
French River Provincial Park is a 73,530-hectare waterway class park. MECP removed approximately 9 hectares of land from the park (maps 1 and 2). Portions of the removed land will remain with MTO for the expanded highway corridor, while other portions are intended to be transferred to the Canadian National (CN) Railway company and the Municipality of Killarney. CN requires the land for a railway realignment that is necessary due to the highway expansion. The Municipality of Killarney requires land to support the continued operations of the Key River Landfill, which is impacted by the realigned railway.
Grundy Lake Provincial Park is a 3,614-hectares natural environmental class park. MECP removed approximately 12.5 hectares of land (map 2) to accommodate MTO’s expanded highway corridor.
The park boundaries were implemented through amendments to Ontario Regulation 316/07: Designation and Classification of Provincial Parks under the Provincial Parks and Conservation Reserves Act, 2006.
Effects of consultation
We received a total of 62 comments during the proposal notice period.
Some commenters expressed support for the proposal, noting the road safety improvements and economic benefits associated with the Highway 69 expansion. Other stakeholders were supportive or neutral of the proposal.
Most commenters expressed general opposition to removing land from provincial parks, particularly for development purposes, but did not raise concerns specific to the parcels addressed in this proposal. One concern specific to this proposal related to deregulation of park land to expand a landfill.
In general, concerns focused on the following themes:
- potential impacts of the reduction of park lands on future generations
- the possibility of setting a precedent for removing land from protected areas
- loss of habitat, including habitat for species at risk
- potential for negative environmental impacts, including in the context of climate change
- desire for replacement lands to offset the deregulated areas
The areas removed are proportionally small relative to the sizes of the parks – 9 hectares out of 73,530 hectares for French River Provincial Park, and 12.5 hectares out of 3,614 hectares for Grundy Lake Provincial Park – and are required to support a provincial priority infrastructure project. Ontario is committed to protecting natural spaces, and continues to expand its system of protected areas.
We considered all comments when making the decision to change the boundaries of French River and Grundy Lake provincial parks. The comments received resulted in no change to the decision.
Supporting materials
View materials in person
Some supporting materials may not be available online. If this is the case, you can request to view the materials in person.
Get in touch with the office listed below to find out if materials are available.
933 Ramsey Lake Road
4th Floor, Willet Green Miller Centre
Sudbury,
ON
P3E 6B5
Canada
Connect with us
Contact
Jillian Lalor
933 Ramsey Lake Road
4th Floor, Willet Green Miller Centre
Sudbury,
ON
P3E 6B5
Canada
Original proposal
Proposal details
French River and Grundy Lake provincial parks are located between Parry Sound and Sudbury, with the boundaries of both parks abutting Highway 69. The Ministry of Transportation (MTO) is expanding Highway 69 to four lanes and requires small portions of both parks to be deregulated to accommodate the expansion.
French River Provincial Park is a 73,530-hectare (ha) waterway class park. The Ministry of the Environment, Conservation and Parks (MECP) is proposing to remove a total of approximately nine hectare of land from the park: 1.1 hectare where the highway crosses the French River (map 1) and 7.9 hectare just south of Highway 522 (map 2). If deregulated, approximately 1.7 hectare of land would remain with MTO for the new highway corridor, while 3.0 hectare are intended for the Canadian National Railway Company (CN) and 4.3 hectare are intended for the Municipality of Killarney. CN requires the land for a railway realignment that is necessary due to the highway expansion. The municipality requires land for the Key River Landfill, which is impacted by the realigned railway.
Grundy Lake Provincial Park is a 3,614-hectare natural environmental class park. MECP is proposing to remove approximately 12.5 hectare of land in the west and southwest of the park (map 2). If deregulated, the land would remain with MTO for the new highway corridor.
Removing the lands from French River and Grundy Lake provincial parks requires amending Ontario Regulation 316/07: Designation and Classification of Provincial Parks under the Provincial Parks and Conservation Reserves Act, 2006 (PPCRA).
Regulatory Impact Analysis
The proposed regulatory amendments are not anticipated to impose any direct or indirect compliance costs on regulated stakeholders.
Since there are no alternative methods to remove land from a provincial park boundary, amending Ontario Regulation 316/07 under the PPCRA is the sole available option.
Other opportunities for consultation
The ministry will be sending letters to Indigenous communities, provincial and regional stakeholders, and the local community directly to advise them of the proposed boundary amendments.
Supporting materials
View materials in person
Some supporting materials may not be available online. If this is the case, you can request to view the materials in person.
Get in touch with the office listed below to find out if materials are available.
933 Ramsey Lake Road
4th Floor, Willet Green Miller Centre
Sudbury,
ON
P3E 6B5
Canada
Comment
Commenting is now closed.
This consultation was open from July 25, 2025
to September 11, 2025
Connect with us
Contact
Jillian Lalor
933 Ramsey Lake Road
4th Floor, Willet Green Miller Centre
Sudbury,
ON
P3E 6B5
Canada
Comments received
Through the registry
55By email
7By mail
0