Office of Lindsey Park MPP
DURHAM: The Ontario government is announcing their intention to add Darlington Provincial Park to the Greenbelt.
Following public consultation and engagement with Indigenous communities this fall, Darlington Provincial Park could begin the process of being added to the Harmony and Farewell Creek Urban River Valley, connecting it to Lake Ontario.
The proposal to add the park came from the Municipality of Clarington, the City of Oshawa, the Central Lake Ontario Conservation Authority and Conservation Ontario as part of a 60-day initial consultation to grow the Greenbelt last spring.
“We heard tremendous community support for adding Darlington Provincial Park to the Greenbelt in our first consultation,” shared Steve Clark, Minister of Municipal Affairs and Housing. “This shows how important the water systems in and around Darlington Provincial Park are to the local communities. I am delighted to share our first proposal on growing the Greenbelt, which includes adding, expanding and further protecting urban river valleys.”
“Adding Darlington Provincial Park to the Greenbelt builds awareness of the importance of this urban river valley area and the key role of watersheds to Ontario’s overall environmental health and the well-being of our communities,” stated Andrea Khanjin, Parliamentary Assistant to the Minister of the Environment, Conservation and Parks. “Our government will continue to protect the environment for generations to come.”
On Wednesday, July 28th Lindsey Park, Member of Provincial Parliament, Durham announced to the community the province’s intention to further protect the Darlington Provincial Park by adding it to the Greenbelt. “We want to hear from the community about this proposal and our other proposals to add our local urban river valleys to the Greenbelt.”
This fall, the government will consult with the public and engage with Indigenous communities on maps showing land which could be added to the Greenbelt, including Darlington Provincial Park, other urban river valleys and a draft Paris Galt Moraine boundary.