Sample Public Comments on a Ministry Proposal
The public can have an effect on the decisions that ministries make about the environment. The following example shows how public comments influenced a final ministry decision.
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Bronte Creek Provincial Park Management Plan Review
Registry # PB7E3002
Description
Bronte Creek is a small provincial park located in the City of Oakville. The area south of the creek, which bisects the park, already contained picnic areas, parking lots, sports facilities, a working farm and a museum. Proposed changes by the Ministry of Natural Resources (MNR) to the existing Bronte Creek park plan included still more development — an amphitheatre, education centre, natural history museum, Ontario Parks store, roofed accommodations, 500-site campground and a welcome centre, possibly housing a conference centre, restaurant, and an IMAX theatre with virtual reality rooms. Part of the new development, including the campground, was being proposed for the undeveloped lands north of the creek.
Public Comments
Many commenters were opposed to the proposed scale of development, to the number of campsites, to plans to build a bridge over Bronte Creek and to put cabins and permanent tents in an undisturbed woodlot. Several people were concerned about MNR’s plans to reduce the nature reserve zoning that protected the creek valley and the adjacent lands. Other commenters wanted the northern part of the park to remain undeveloped.
Decision
In response to public comments, MNR reduced the park’s proposed development zone from 60 per cent of the parklands to 50 per cent, and increased the nature reserve zone from 18 per cent to 25 per cent. The area set aside for natural restoration in the northern part of the park was more than doubled in size, and the proposed campground was reduced from 500 sites to 400.
