Evidence of meeting #35 for Environment and Sustainable Development in the 41st Parliament, 2nd Session. (The original version is on Parliament’s site.) The winning word was farming.
A recording is available from Parliament.
5:10 p.m.
Conservative
Stephen Woodworth Conservative Kitchener Centre, ON
Thank you, Mr. Chair.
My thanks to all of the witnesses for their attendance here today.
Mr. Moola, I would like to ask you a question.
Are you aware that Parks Canada reduced its policies for Rouge national urban park into a management plan, in draft, in June 2014?
5:15 p.m.
Director General, Ontario and Northern Canada, David Suzuki Foundation
Yes.
5:15 p.m.
Conservative
Stephen Woodworth Conservative Kitchener Centre, ON
Are you familiar with that draft management plan?
5:15 p.m.
Director General, Ontario and Northern Canada, David Suzuki Foundation
Yes.
5:15 p.m.
Conservative
Stephen Woodworth Conservative Kitchener Centre, ON
Can you point me to any Parks Canada policy contained in that draft management plan that you feel does not meet or exceed the provincial land use planning agreements referred to in the memorandum of understanding between the Government of Canada and the Province of Ontario?
5:15 p.m.
Director General, Ontario and Northern Canada, David Suzuki Foundation
Sure.
We believe it's in everyone's interest to ensure better protection for nature, which is currently under the existing management frameworks that apply to the Rouge. Regretfully, we don't believe this is the case either under Bill C-40 or the management plan. Our concern is exactly the same as what I mentioned earlier, which is that there's the absence of any explicit language in the bill to clearly define and prioritize ecological health as the overarching management goal for the park.
The prioritization of nature is within the existing provincial policy regime pertaining to the Rouge, such as the Rouge park management plan, the Rouge north management plan, and the greenbelt active plan.
5:15 p.m.
Conservative
Stephen Woodworth Conservative Kitchener Centre, ON
Could I stop you for a moment?
I always hate to interrupt someone in the middle of remarks or speeches, but I'm not sure you understood my question.
I have asked you to point me to any policy contained in the draft management plan that you feel does not meet or exceed the equivalent provincial policy.
Can you do that?
5:15 p.m.
Director General, Ontario and Northern Canada, David Suzuki Foundation
Yes.
I would say it is the failure to clearly identify and prioritize the conservation of nature in both the draft management plan and the bill.
5:15 p.m.
Conservative
Stephen Woodworth Conservative Kitchener Centre, ON
What policy are you referring to in the draft management plan?
5:15 p.m.
Director General, Ontario and Northern Canada, David Suzuki Foundation
Yes.
5:15 p.m.
Conservative
Stephen Woodworth Conservative Kitchener Centre, ON
What policy are you referring to in the draft management plan?
I have it right in front of me and I've looked at it. There are a lot of policies. You're telling me there's a policy in here which you feel does not meet or exceed an equivalent provincial policy. I would like you to point it out to me, please.
5:15 p.m.
Director General, Ontario and Northern Canada, David Suzuki Foundation
Well, I would say it's the absence of any clear language in that management plan that explicitly identifies ecological health or ecological integrity of the overarching—
5:15 p.m.
Conservative
Stephen Woodworth Conservative Kitchener Centre, ON
You're not referring to any policy that is in fact stated in this draft management plan.
5:15 p.m.
Director General, Ontario and Northern Canada, David Suzuki Foundation
Then I'll reframe it. I would say it's the absence of any reference—
5:15 p.m.
Conservative
Stephen Woodworth Conservative Kitchener Centre, ON
So there's nothing in this plan that you can tell me does not meet or exceed provincial policy.
5:15 p.m.
Director General, Ontario and Northern Canada, David Suzuki Foundation
Well, the failure to identify and clearly prioritize ecological—
5:15 p.m.
Conservative
Stephen Woodworth Conservative Kitchener Centre, ON
We're repeating ourselves, so I'll take your answer as it is.
Mr. Robb, you heard my exchange with the last witness. Are you familiar with the policies that have been put in writing by Parks Canada for Rouge national urban park in this draft management plan of June 2014?
Have you seen that?
5:15 p.m.
Conservative
Stephen Woodworth Conservative Kitchener Centre, ON
You're familiar with it.
Can you point to any policy in this document that does not meet or exceed an equivalent provincial policy?
5:15 p.m.
General Manager, Friends of the Rouge Watershed
Yes.
Number one is that the existing provincial policy clearly sets out a goal of ecological integrity. That's in the Rouge watershed plan. It's in the Rouge park plans. It's in the greenbelt plans, and the Oak Ridges Moraine. That's one.
5:15 p.m.
Conservative
Stephen Woodworth Conservative Kitchener Centre, ON
I'm sorry, what policy are you referring to in this draft management plan?
5:15 p.m.
General Manager, Friends of the Rouge Watershed
The draft management plan essentially adopts the same wording about ecosystem health instead of ecological integrity.
The second—
5:15 p.m.
Conservative
Stephen Woodworth Conservative Kitchener Centre, ON
I'm sorry, I'm looking for specific policies to compare. Quite frankly, I don't accept the notion that objectives and goals are the same as policies. Can you tell me if there's a specific policy here? They're numbered. There are objectives and so on. They're paged. There are actions.
Which of the policies in this draft management plan does not meet or exceed the equivalent provincial policy?
5:15 p.m.
General Manager, Friends of the Rouge Watershed
The particular one is the main ecological corridor. The “Rouge North Management Plan (2001)”, the “Greenbelt Plan (2005)”, the “Markham Official Plan”, and the York Region official plan all say there will be a 600-metre corridor. It will be a minimum of 400 metres wooded, with 100 metres on either side in compatible uses, and it will extend from the lake to the moraine. That is not in the federal plan.
5:15 p.m.
Conservative
Stephen Woodworth Conservative Kitchener Centre, ON
When this policy says that the government will work with the Province of Ontario, other federal governments, the TRCA, and municipal governments to develop connectivity options having consideration for ecosystem and trail connectivity objectives, ecosystem performance, implementation feasibility, and so on, don't you think that encompasses the necessary corridor?