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TO THE MINISTER OF NATURAL RESOURCES AND THE PREMIER OF ONTARIO:
WHEREAS the Ontario Ministry of Natural Resources has cut staffing in Ontario Provincial Parks for the summer of 2006;
AND WHEREAS the cuts eliminate the equivalent of at least 226 positions for seasonal and regular student jobs, or 19 per cent of the total;
AND WHEREAS cutting park wardens endangers ecological integrity and reduces public safety in our parks;
AND WHEREAS cutting natural heritage educators reduces the opportunity for park users, especially children, to develop a better understanding of nature and their place in it;
AND WHEREAS cutting maintenance staff may mean less frequent garbage pickup, bathroom cleaning, trail maintenance, and/or dead tree removal, resulting in health and safety risks for park users;
AND WHEREAS cutting park store staff means reduced store hours and outright store closures in some parks, resulting in longer drives and less convenience for park users;
AND WHEREAS park user fees account for 80 per cent of the operating cost of Ontario parks, the highest rate of any province in Canada;
AND WHEREAS the cost to the provincial treasury of the 2006-07 operating budget for all 319 Ontario parks is a mere $13.7 million;
AND WHEREAS the economic, social, educational, and environmental benefits of our parks far outweigh the cost of operating them;
THEREFORE WE THE UNDERSIGNED call on the Ontario Minister of Natural Resources to take the following actions:
• Undo the cuts to park staffing for the remainder of the season;
• Fill the positions that were left vacant;
• Restore the positions that were eliminated;
• Restore all service levels to at least the level they were at in 2005;
• Keep our parks open at least as late as in 2005; and
• Develop a long-term plan, to be implemented in the next budget year, to ensure that all Ontario parks have the staffing levels they need to protect ecological integrity within our parks and to provide all park users with an enjoyable and enriching park experience. |
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