The Government of Ontario has confirmed it will be creating a new provincial park in the Greater Toronto Area.
To mark Earth Day on April 22, officials announced plans to establish the first "urban provincial park" in Uxbridge. A new provincial protected area in the town, which is north-east of Toronto in Durham Region, was first teased in the 2023 budget.
Although Scarborough's Rouge National Urban Park is an "urban" park, it is, as the name suggests, a national park and is managed by Parks Canada.
"Creating the province’s first urban provincial park in Uxbridge would be a major step forward for conservation and biodiversity protection in Ontario," said David Piccini, Minister of the Environment, Conservation, and Parks.
While the exact features of the new park have yet to be revealed, Dave Barton, the Mayor of Uxbridge, noted that the lands are perfect for hiking, mountain biking, snowshoeing, and cross-country skiing. The park could also contribute to scientific research and environmental monitoring.
The province will work with stakeholders, including the Township of Uxbridge, the Toronto and Region Conservation Authority, and the Nature Conservancy of Canada, to identify the "full recreational and protection potential" of an urban provincial park in the area. Indigenous communities, the public, and other partners will also be consulted over the coming months.
Located in the Oak Ridges Moraine, which is part of the Greenbelt, the park may include up to 532 hectares of provincially-owned land. The study of the park's potential scope may include the 598-hectare Durham Regional Forest and a 120 hectare parcel of land that is currently owned by the Township of Uxbridge.
"Opening a new provincial park in Uxbridge would give families and people in the community new ways to enjoy the great outdoors all year around," said Peter Bethlenfalvy, the Minister of Finance and the MPP for Pickering—Uxbridge.
"A strong Ontario includes a strong provincial park system, made up of the most beautiful and scenic parts of the province, that will be enjoyed for many generations to come."
