The Sudbury Star is the City of Greater Sudbury’s daily newspaper.
A decision by the provincial government will determine the fate of Wolf Lake Forest Reserve for the next two decades, a group dedicated to protecting the area says.
Members of the Wolf Lake Coalition gathered at Memorial Park in downtown Sudbury on Wednesday to make the case for why more of Wolf Lake should be turned into parkland, and to release a report detailing why the area needs to be protected.
“We’re at a key time in terms of being two weeks away from a decision that the Ontario government will make, which will either open the way for full protection as a park or block that for another 21 years,” said Beth Mairs, a member of the Wolf Lake group and the Coalition for a Liveable Sudbury.
On May 31, a mining lease in the forest is set to expire. The group is urging the government to end the lease, rather than renew it for another 21 years. The Mike Harris government made a promise in 1999 that once a mining lease or claim lapses in the Wolf Lake area, the land in question becomes parkland and will be added to the Chiniguchi Waterway Provincial Park, in Greater Sudbury north of Lake Wahnapitae.
However, the group claims that Sudbury MPP Rick Bartolucci, who is also minister for Northern Development and Mines, continues to renew mining claims even when the work necessary to keep the claims active is not being completed.
“The Ontario government, in our opinion, has had a history of not being true to its promises in terms of protecting the park,” Mairs said.
In a recent interview with Cindy Blancher-Smith, the director of mineral development and lands for the ministry, she said mining claims are renewed in accordance with the Ontario Mining Act.
“You have to do a certain amount of assessment work, and that’s exploration work. For that work, you get credits and you have to do so much work per year in order to keep that claim in good standing.”
The coalition’s report, called 10 Reasons to Protect Wolf Lake Forever, mentions the uniqueness of the area — it is the world’s largest ancient red pine forest — and a mecca for tourism, which benefits the economy.
In addition, according to the report, mining exploration has been going on in Wolf Lake for more than 100 years, but nothing economically viable has ever been discovered.
On Wednesday, copies of the report were delivered to the offices of Bartolucci, Greater Sudbury Mayor Marianne Matichuk, Blancher-Smith and provincial mining recorder Tony Scarr.
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