This just received by me and is not good news to many of us who use to Park in other ways than driving through it.
Barbara Wilson -----Original Message----- From: Peter Scott [mailto:Peter_Scott@;hc-sc.gc.ca] Sent: October 24, 2002 10:55 AM To: [EMAIL PROTECTED] Subject: Road through MacKenzie King Estate Dear Barbara: Did you know that the NCC plans to build a new road from P6 (Kingsmere) to the Champlain Parkway - 900 m long and 20 m wide? Over half of it will obliterate part of trail 7. The Canadian Parks and Wilderness Society (CPAWS) is having a letter writing campaign. Perhaps you would be interested in participating. I was told last night at a meeting of the CPAWS Gatineau Park Committee that the NCC will receive comments until October 29 (not much time given!) and that surveyers have been told to get ready to start. Presumably the NCC does not need approval from anyone after next week! There has been a letter sent to the Citizen by the Committee but it has not yet appeared (apparently they get hundreds of letters every day). However, there is a letter in the Low newspaper. The meeting held by the NCC was in Chelsea (while I was away) and attendees were mostly residents who are in favour of the road to reduce Fall traffic past their houses on Kingsmere Road and Swamp Road. The consultants' report is quite thick; I don't have a copy but I do have a summary - or see the web site [EMAIL PROTECTED] . The summary has a better map and I saw a really big detailed plan last night. Cost is nearly $1 million and 850 trees will be cut down. Cheers. Peter Scott Draft letter (you may modify it as you see fit) that could be sentto the Prime Minister; Honourable Sheila Copps, Minister of Canadian Heritage (Parliament Buildings, Ottawa ON K1A 0A6), Marcel Beaudry, Chairman, National Capital Commission, 40 Elgin St, Ottawa, ON K1P 1C7 and your MP. Dear...... The National Capital Commission recently issued an incomplete environmental assessment on a proposed road through the Mackenzie King Estate, allowing the public only a few hours to study it before holding a public meeting. No purposeful analysis can be carried out on such short notice, however, some attendees found it long enough to conclude the document had been poorly researched and was incomplete. For example, aquatic widlife were studied one day in May with a return visit in August, amphibians were studied at sunset on June 3 and avian wildlife for 3.25 hours on June 4. No study has been reported on animals in the area. A proper environmental assessment, along with cumulative affects, should have been carried out. Such poor research should not be acceptable to the Government of Canada. Mackenzie King left his Kingsmere Estate to the Government of Canada as a public park in trust for the citizens of Canada(not just Ottawa or Kingsmere) and Mr. King expressed the wish that the land would become a wild life sanctuary, having the character of a natural forest reserve. May I point out that natural forest reserves are not fragmented by roads. Furthermore, roads have a serious deleterious on animals traversing the park and also lead to the loss of species. I have been informed that the National Capital Commission, at the public hearing, admitted that the projected road would not solve the traffic problem around Kingsmere. Therefore, I object to nearly $1 million being spent on a project that cannot be successful. It has also been brought to my attention that more visitors are expected when and if the road is constructed. The parking lot already reaches capacity on busy days. But when asked, the NCC had to admit that this problem had not been considered. Better solutions can surely be found - such as bussing people using environmentally friendly electric trolleys, improving the roads to Kingsmere and constructing proper sidewalks, reducing the speed of traffic or closing the road when the parking lot is full. Since roads should not be built in a park I request that this project be reconsidered with the object being to find a proper solution to the traffic problems not only round Kingsmere but in other parts of Gatineau Park where problems have also been noted. In conclusion, the most important element to be considered by the Government of Canada is the desire of Mr. King to provide all Canadians with a natural forest reserve. Yours sincerely, ------------------------------------------------- For list help, please send email to [EMAIL PROTECTED] Club Office: [EMAIL PROTECTED] (613) 230-1064 Website: [EMAIL PROTECTED] http://www.cyberus.ca/~obcweb Newsletter: [EMAIL PROTECTED] ------------------------------------------------- ==^================================================================ This email was sent to: archive@jab.org EASY UNSUBSCRIBE click here: http://topica.com/u/?aVxiDo.a2i8p1.YXJjaGl2 Or send an email to: [EMAIL PROTECTED] T O P I C A -- Register now to manage your mail! http://www.topica.com/partner/tag02/register ==^================================================================
