Thank you for creating a forum for us folks who live on Lake Superior to
expound our opinions regarding the future of this Great Lake.
I do not know if the situation is similar in the United States as it is
here in Canada regarding public ownership of the majority of the lands.
Here in Canada the vast majority of the property surrounding Lake Superior
is owned by the "crown," in other words the land belongs to the people
of the province of Ontario and as such should benefit all the people of
the province, not just those who live here. I, for one, recognize this
and seek to ensure that whatever is done should be a balance of ideas from
both local and distant interests. The "crown" ownership aspect requires
that the government will and must be involved regarding any planning changes.
This brings me to the point in question.
Parks Canada will be conducting a study to determine if the area from the
Slate Islands off Terrace Bay to the Sibley Provincial Park east of Thunder
Bay should or should not become a new Federal Marine Park - whether or
not it should include the land areas within this study area, among other
things. Many people are concerned, and rightfully so, about how this would
impact them. Some people have already started objecting publicly to the
park, even before they have listened to anyone from Parks Canada regarding
the proposed project. As one can see, issues such as these spark emotions
and responses which may or may not be objective or good for themselves
or for the majority.
It is my opinion that we should at least listen to the pros and cons of
any proposal without prejudging. It may be that some of these people have
their own personal agenda and are thinking of their own "pocket books"
and not thinking about the real owners of the land.
This brings up another point regarding ownership. Our aboriginal people
here in this area still have to resolve their issues regarding land claims.
They probably have an even greater interest than others. I believe that
input from the First Nations people should weigh heavily in any decisions
reached by any organization.
It is truly a difficult task to appease everyone in one all-encompassing
plan. People have very different agendas and views, all of which should
have the opportunity to be heard. The point, I think, is to bring all these
prospects together and then decide if, in fact, any planning or change
is warranted. Many different organizations, both public and private, have
been studying many different aspects of our lake over the past years such
as the Binational Forum, the Remedial Action Plans, S.O.S. [Save Our Superior]
and many others, which include our own Rossport Area Conservation and Development
Group and the Rossport Islands Management Board, the latter two being of
great importance to me because this is where I live.
To leave things status quo might not be the answer for the future. Perhaps
a negative outcome would result if left purely in the hands of the private
entrepreneur or the government. Better in my mind is a cooperation of government,
business, First Nations and other citizens to create and develop a plan
that would address the concerns and try to please as many players and users
as you can.
Most of us, I think, want to preserve the sensitive areas. We want the
fish and wildlife stock to be sustainable; we want future generations to
enjoy the wilderness as it is now; we want to see a positive economic outcome
for our people. I think we have a world class area to preserve and should
invite people from all over the globe to come and enjoy the scenery. The
people of Michigan must be proud of what they have achieved on Isle Royale.
Thank you for the opportunity to raise a few of my concerns.
David Speer
Rossport, Ontario
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