PUBLIC MEETINGS – Crown Land Use Harmonization Project (CLUAH)

Written by admin on 16 July 2011

We have much land to share between us, with our children, with tourists but if it is to be limited by private interests or the highest bidders why live in the North at all?

Closures near Wawa Ontario. Photo courtesy Bonnie Smedt

MANITOUWADGE, ON – The letter below was submitted to OntarioNewsNorth.com by a member of the Manitouwadge Outdoor Enthusiasts (MOE) and also posted around town at public venues by the local OntORA (Ontario Outdoors Recreational Alliance) representative Frank Reiser advising residents of a public consultation meeting to be held next week in regards to the Crown Land Use Harmonization Project.

New logging roads – closed to motorized public travel (MPT)!!!

Three of the four options presented to the MNR Minister last week, contain the above solution as to how the forest companies will manage new primary and branch roads in the Enhanced Management Areas. Only you can help stop this from happening.

Welcome to CLUAH which stands for Crown Land Use Atlas Harmonization. Wawa district is the first region in Ontario to be subjected to new forest management guidelines which will then roll out across Ontario. What happens here will determine future forest access for the public for all Ontarians for years to come.

On March 12, 2009, over 200 concerned Manitouwadge residents packed the council chambers to hear about the threat to our access to the forest. After two long years of meetings, delays and lack of public input, the government is going ahead and will attempt to get this passed before the October election. Thursday, July 14^th, the Environmental Bill of Rights (EBR) #PB06E2025 was released to begin 49 days of public input with the first public meeting in Manitouwadge on July 20^th. Meetings are to be held in open house format from 2_pm to 8_pm with presentations at 3_pm and 6_pm. The dates are:

Manitouwadge, July 20^th, 2011 in Council Chambers

Hornepayne, July 21^st, 2011, Legion

White River, July 26^th, 2011, Legion

Dubreuilville, July 27^th, 2011, Township office

Wawa, July 28^th, 2011, Legion Hall, Broadway Avenue

The Manitouwadge Outdoor Enthusiasts (MOE) have been collecting information since that first meeting in 2009. The time has come for everyone to not only hear the four options, but to speak on the record as to your preferences or objections to them all. What will happen to the 49 opportunity lakes for remote tourism? How many more lakes will we be prevented from accessing? Will the restrictions to Garnham Lake increase? Can we expect gates on all new roads? Where will we pick berries if we can’t access any new cuts?? There are many questions and you have one chance to ask them and most importantly to comment on them. There is an election in October and you need to know what Crown land access you are about to lose so you can tell you MPP.

For more information, visit www.ebr.gov.on.ca and look for EBR # PB06E2025 and attend the meeting on the 20^th. Please share this information with as many people as possible to ensure we have a good turnout and write your comments on the sheets (**From the Editor – Comments posted below will be printed and submitted at meeting).

Manitouwadge needs a large turnout despite the lack of notice and the scheduling of this public meeting in the middle of summer vacation.

The Minister of Natural Resources Linda Jeffrey has been said to have approved these public consultations and therefore it seems safe to hope that any public input will be reviewed and taken into consideration as Minister Jeffrey has assured those concerned with the Crown Land Use Atlas Harmonization Project process that public comments will weigh heavily on her decision, and has also stated that the CLUAH Project will serve a templete for the rest of the province – do not let your concerns/questions go unheard or unanswered.

The Ministry of Natural Resources/Ontario Government has yet to publish a release in regards to these meetings.