Road to Fragment Wood Buffalo National Park
Wildcanada.net Action Alert -- 038
October 26, 2001
For more information, please visit http://www.cnf.ca/action/wood.html. Please forward this message to your friends. For more information on Wildcanada.net, or if this has been forwarded to you and you would like to sign up for Wildcanada.net's free provincial and national programs, visit http://www.wildcanada.net. To unsubscribe email us at wild@wildcanada.net with "unsubscribe" as the subject.
Synopsis
A federal court has cleared the way for a winter road that will fragment the boreal forest in Wood Buffalo National Park. The road was initially approved in May, 2001 by the Minister of Canadian Heritage, despite the determined interventions of the Canadian Nature Federation and the Canadian Parks and Wilderness Society (CPAWS). The Canadian Parks and Wilderness Society challenged the approval in court and on October 17th a federal court ruled that the road could proceed.
Background
The groups maintain that the construction of the road is contrary to the Canada National Parks Act, the policies, principles, and regulations of Parks Canada, and the management plan for the park. The court decision could make meaningless the National Parks Act's provision that makes ecological integrity the first consideration of the Minister of all aspects of park management. This could set an ominous precedent for the management of other national parks.
The court decision may still be appealed but the ecological integrity of Wood Buffalo National Park is immediately in question. The National Parks Act is very clear in its intent that nature has to be considered first, and that parks must remain unimpaired for future generations. It is essential that we no allow our national parks to be treated with such careless disregard for nature.
Please take a moment to call, fax, or write to the Prime Minister and ask him to ensure that our national treasures are treated with the highest standard of care. Emphasize to the Prime Minister that protecting nature should be he primary purpose of our national parks, and is the purpose of the Canada National Parks Act.
Who you should contact:
Right Honourable Jean Chrétien
House of Commons
Ottawa, Ontario
K1A 0A6
Fax: (613) 941-6900
Email: pm@pm.gc.ca
Phone: (613) 992-4211
Please send a copy of your letter to Wildcanada.net at wild@wildcanada.net.