National Urban Park Proposed for Windsor Area
• The National Urban Parks Program launched in August 2021. The current Minister’s mandate is to create a network of 15 national urban parks by 2030.
• Parks Canada administers the program, working in close collaboration with Indigenous partners, municipalities, provincial governments, and organizations at each candidate site.
• Parks Canada developed an interim policy under which future national urban parks will be designated. This is different from Toronto’s Rouge National Urban Park, which has its own legislation, as well as other national parks across the country, which are scheduled under the Canada National Parks Act. The national urban park policy is a new approach that will enable more flexible governance arrangements, whether shared or administered by partners other than Parks Canada.
Background on the Windsor Candidate Site:
• The exploration of a national urban park in the Windsor area began at the same time as the program launch in August 2021; Windsor is one of the candidate sites under consideration across Canada.
• The core study area includes the Ojibway Prairie Complex; additional study area lands include Ojibway Shores (administered by Parks Canada), as well as other lands administered by the City of Windsor, Ontario Ministry of Transportation, Town of LaSalle and others. The entire study area is approximately 940 ha (see “Location of proposed national urban park in the Windsor area” map).
• The proposed park occurs within the traditional territory of the Three Fires Confederacy.
• In February 2022, a Private Member’s Bill was tabled by MP Masse. Private Member’s Bill C-248 proposes to create a national urban park in Windsor by establishing it under the Canada National Parks Act.
• Bill C-248 passed in the House of Commons in April 2023 and is now being studied in the Senate. This could potentially create a National Urban Park in Windsor through a different process from all other sites in the program.
• The proposed coordinates of the park in Bill C-248 are different from those of the study area mentioned above (see “NUP Windsor PMB-Study Area Comparison”).
Involvement of First Nations:
• Engagement on the proposed national urban park with First Nations is separate and distinct from public and stakeholder engagement, occurring on a nation-to-nation basis for all aspects of the park project.
• Parks Canada envisions shared governance of the park that respects and fosters First Nations knowledge and a “two-eyed seeing” approach to management.
• Walpole Island First Nation, Caldwell First Nation and Chippewas of the Thames First Nation are represented on the Partner Committee, which provides guidance and direction on the project. Other rights-holding First Nations were invited to participate in the project in May 2023.
• Engagement with urban Indigenous residents and organizations included a round-table discussion at Can-Am Indian Friendship Centre (January 2023) and Visioning Workshop (April 2023).
Designation/Establishment:
• Parks Canada expects that this park will be created as early as 2025.
• Parks Canada supports the creation of a national urban park in Windsor, regardless of whether that park is created under the National Urban Parks Policy or under legislation.
• The process by which this park is created will be determined by the outcome of Private Member’s Bill C-248. This will also impact the final boundaries and governance of the park.
• In April 2024, the Government of Canada announced proposed funding of $36.1 million over five years, starting in 2024-25, and $4.6 million ongoing to create a national urban park in the Windsor, Ontario, area.
Additional Information and Studies:
• The project website was launched in November 2022 as part of public and stakeholder engagement, which occurred from November 2022 to June 2023: https://letstalk.citywindsor.ca/national-urban-park-windsor
• The pre-feasibility report, which is the outcome of the first phase in the Parks Canada policy designation process, was completed and released in April 2023: https://parks.canada.ca/pun-nup/potentiels-candidates/windsor.
Next Steps
• Parks Canada will continue working with the Partner Committee through the Planning Phase of the project, focusing on topics such as the vision for the park, boundaries, governance, and co-management and operational planning.
• Parks Canada will continue to engage with rights-holding First Nations on the prospect of shared governance.
• Parks Canada and partners await the outcome of Private Member’s Bill C-248, which has the potential to influence the governance and boundaries of the proposed national urban park.
https://www.canada.ca/en/parks-canada/news/2025/03/proposed-national-urban-park-in-the-windsor-area.html