The Boreal West Round Table information centre will be in Fort Frances tomorrow in an attempt to develop recommendations on land use and natural resource allocation in Northwestern Ontario.
The public will have a chance to examine the group’s planning recommendations and to ask questions to its members.
The centre will run from 4-9 p.m. at the curling club on Eighth Street.
Similar information centres already have been held this week in Red Lake, Marathon, Kenora, and Nipigon, with one in Thunder Bay slated for tonight.
Dryden also will be hosting a meeting tomorrow night.
Those on hand will be presented with a series of maps and information by committee members outlining their intentions on allocating Crown land.
Boreal West is one of three areas (the other two being Boreal East and the Great Lakes-St. Lawrence) set up under the so-called “Lands for Life,” which will determine the best uses of Crown land in Ontario “based upon the needs and wishes of the people in seeking a balance between the protection and careful use of our natural resources.”
Boreal West encompasses the area west of Marathon and Longlac to the Manitoba border, and north from the U.S.-Canada boundary to the Albany River. It is 21,036,989 ha in size, and close to 95 percent is Crown or public lands and water.
The public will be given a four-section tabloid that describes different land use planning ideas the round table has developed. At the end of each section is a series of questions.
The 44-page tabloid, which included a response booklet, can either be mailed out or given to a Boreal West round table member. It contains early signs of which direction Boreal West will be headed although it is open to changes.
Boreal West has chosen to create the concept of a “stewardship” for Ontario’s parks and protected lands, which suggests these designations exist for forest and provincial heritage waterway reserves, and in areas which include tourism, recreation, and wildlife.
“Lands for Life” intends to set land use and strategic direction at a “broad” level, followed by a more detailed sequence that will detail more sub-regional and local planning initiatives.
The round table will provide land use recommendations that will address the forestry, tourism, natural heritage, mineral development, fishing and hunting, and First Nations while sustaining the province’s natural resources.
A total of nine land-use designations have been suggested by Boreal West, including six new designations (forest stewardship reserves, provincial heritage waterway reserves, tourism stewardship areas, recreation stewardship area, wildlife stewardship areas, and community stewardship areas).
Designations already in place include provincial parks, conservation reserves, and general use areas.
The Boreal West round table also is looking into implementing the use of management tools as “general descriptions or resource management policies that could be applied under certain circumstances to manage resources in a way that reduces conflict or enhances opportunities.”
Roadless area management, sensitive area management, enhanced fishing, hunting and viewing opportunities, and specialized mineral development are the management tools under discussion.
The round table is expected to release a second version of recommendations for public discussion in August, then deliver a package to the Ministry of Natural Resources by the end of October.
“Lands for Life” is designed to:
•complete Ontario’s system of parks and protected areas;
•recognize the land use needs of resource-based tourism;
•address the needs of resource-users such as the forest and mineral industry;
•provide enhanced opportunities for public hunting and fishing;
•respect First Nation aboriginal and treaty rights, land claims, and traditional uses; and
•contribute to the strengthening and diversification of local economies while ensuring the sustainability of Ontario’s natural resources.
Fort Frances Times
Local News from Across the Rainy River District
