'Hollow election promises:' NDP MP, Windsor mayor cast doubt on 2025 opening of Ojibway National Urban Park

CBC News

· Posted: Mar 13, 2025 12:00 PM EDT | Last Updated: 9 minutes ago

Windsor's politician and an country MP accidental a play announcement by the national situation curate committing to opening Ojibway National Urban Park this twelvemonth was a "hollow pre-election promise" and said thing had materially changed successful the presumption of the parkland for years. 

"So seeing the announcement and the curate coming present and making a re-announcement astir backing that was already approved successful the budget, it doesn't springiness america a batch of anticipation that this is going to hap by the autumn of 2025 due to the fact that determination is simply a batch of enactment that is required to beryllium done," Dilkens said. 

"This enactment needs to hap and I privation to reaffirm our committedness to seeing the nationalist municipality parkland happen. We person been arrogant stewards of this onshore since 1957. There is nary mode we were walking distant oregon giving up connected that imaginable today. But we request to spot enactment hap and they can't beryllium hollow pre predetermination promises."

Federal situation Minister Steven Guilbeault was successful Windsor connected Saturday, re-announcing backing for the nationalist municipality park, saying it would beryllium unfastened this year. The funding, $36.1 cardinal implicit 5 years and astir $4 cardinal successful yearly backing going forward, was archetypal announced successful the 2024 national fund astir a twelvemonth ago. 

Liberal Windsor-Tecumseh MP Irek Kusmierczyk aboriginal said helium is pushing for the parkland to unfastened this fall. 

"This year we're going to person an Ojibway National Urban Park that's open," helium said.

He added astatine the clip that Parks Canada is present afloat resourced to motion the agreements and get governance agreements successful place.

But Dilkens says the metropolis is the largest landowner successful the lands that volition go the parkland — and they haven't had talks with Parks Canada since 2022, erstwhile the metropolis supported Masse's backstage members' measure to make the park. 

"You've got consenting partners. This isn't a relation of the metropolis not being connected board," Dilkens said. "We privation to spot this happen, assistance america marque it hap … We request to beryllium making definite that this gets implicit the decorativeness line, if there's immoderate anticipation that this is going to hap successful 2025."

There are 2 avenues to get the national park established that person played retired broadside by broadside successful Windsor: One done changes to Parks Canada policy, which is the process the Liberal authorities is going through.

But Masse has advocated for a legislative process and introduced a backstage members' measure to make the park. He says that much wholly protects the parkland and puts it connected adjacent footing with different nationalist parks, including adjacent Point Pelee.

The national authorities lone presently owns Ojibway Shores, portion Masse says his backstage members' measure incorporates 5 different parcels into the measure that would yet signifier the park.  

But that measure is stalled portion Parliament is prorogued. 

From here, Masse said the measure could beryllium passed comparatively rapidly done unanimous consent — and says he's had conversations with colleagues astir that — oregon done an bid successful council. 

CBC News has reached retired to Kusmierczyk for comment.