Latest news with #SophieChatel
CTV News
13 hours ago
- Politics
- CTV News
Quebec senator introduces bill to protect Gatineau Park
A new bill has been introduced in the Senate to establish greater ecological protections of Gatineau Park. Independent Quebec Senator Rosa Galvez introduced Bill S-229, An Act to amend the National Capital Act (Gatineau Park) on Tuesday. It is currently at second reading in the Senate. The bill was drafted with input from Liberal MP for Pontiac-Kitigan Zibi Sophie Chatel. The bill was first introduced last fall but died on the order paper when the 2025 federal election was called. 'Only 7.6 per cent of the Outaouais region and less than 9 per cent of the Ottawa River watershed are currently protected,' Galvez said in a news release. 'The protection of Gatineau Park is essential for Canada to meet its goal of protecting 30 per cent of lands by 2030, as outlined in the Kunming-Montreal Global Biodiversity Framework.' Chatel called Gatineau Park 'one of the great natural treasures of the Outaouais' region. 'A place for hiking, running, skiing, biking, and swimming in every season. It is at the heart of our regional identity. This bill is about protecting that legacy. It is time to act, so that future generations can continue to enjoy this space and help protect the biodiversity it sustains,' she said. According to the text of the current bill, it aims to establish the boundaries of Gatineau Park, prioritize the ecological integrity of the park in its management by the National Capital Commission (NCC), prohibit the sale of public lands located within the park, with certain exceptions, and authorize the creation of regulations to oversee activities in the park and set corresponding fees. It also seeks to strengthen consultation and collaboration between the NCC, the Algonquin Anishinabeg Nation and neighbouring municipalities and promote the use of services from businesses and workers of the Algonquin Anishinabeg Nation for maintenance and conservation activities in Gatineau Park. 'It is essential to protect our green spaces for future generations,' said Chief Jean-Guy Whiteduck, of the Kitigan Zibi Anishinabeg Band Council. 'This bill not only aims to preserve the ecological integrity of the precious Gatineau Park; it also honours our connection to the land, which is located on the traditional and unceded territory of the Algonquin Anishinabeg Nation. I support MP Sophie Chatel and Senator Rosa Galvez in this initiative, which aligns with the core values of our community. This bill reflects our collective responsibility to safeguard this unique environment for ourselves and for future generations.' According to the NCC, Gatineau Park is the largest green space in the National Capital Region, covering 7.7 per cent of its total area. It receives more than 2.6 million visitors per year, making it the second-most visited park in Canada, behind Banff National Park in Alberta. The NCC says on its website that Gatineau Park used to have distinct periods of high visitor traffic and low visitor traffic, which gave wildlife and the natural ecosystem time to grow. But the park has been busier in all seasons in recent years, which has led to impacts on the soil, plants, and wildlife. 'Preserving Gatineau Park for future generations is a collective responsibility. You can support the Park's conservation mission by being a responsible user, and by getting involved,' the NCC says.
Ottawa Citizen
18-05-2025
- Politics
- Ottawa Citizen
Deachman: Gatineau park deserves some love, so please pass this bill
Article content When Parliament was dissolved ahead of last month's federal election, one of the bills that died on the order paper was Bill S-289 — a.k.a. the Gatineau Park Act. Article content Article content Co-sponsored by Pontiac-Kitigan Zibi Liberal MP Sophie Chatel and Independent Quebec Sen. Rosa Galvez, the bill proposed to amend the National Capital Act to have Gatineau Park designated a national park. Article content Article content It may come as a surprise that the federal park is the only one in Canada that ISN'T a national park with all the attendant ecological and environmental protections. It is, after all, one of the most popular parks in Canada, with more than 2.6 million visitors a year, which, according to ranks it second in the country, only behind Banff National Park. Article content Article content To most paddlers, hikers and cross-country skiers who use it, it sure looks and feels like a national park. Yet its governance by the NCC through the agency's master plan lacks the force of law, leaving it open to potential development, particularly from private landowners within, who might not prioritize conservation. Article content If enacted, the bill would formally identify the park's boundaries and put in safeguards to guarantee its ecological integrity and restrict further development. Technically, the bill wouldn't make it a national park under the National Parks Act, but it would give it all the same protections while keeping it under the NCC's jurisdiction. Article content Article content This ought to be a slam-dunk, especially in these days of concern over climate change. It's not an especially contentious idea. It's not about pipelines or carbon taxes or gun control. It's about recognizing the significance of a 361-sq-km. park (larger, incidentally, than the island of Grenada) that is often described as the 'jewel' in the National Capital Region, and ensuring it remains that way. Article content Article content Over the past two decades, politicians of all stripes have brought forward similar bills to protect the park. Ottawa Centre NDP MPs Ed Broadbent and Paul Dewar both tried, as did Conservative/Independent Sen. Mira Spivak. Hull-Aylmer NDP MP Nycole Turmel took a couple of kicks at it. Conservative governments tried in 2009 and '10, with Ottawa West-Nepean Conservative MP John Baird leading those efforts.
CBC
29-04-2025
- Business
- CBC
Pontiac-Kitigan Zibi remains Liberal with Sophie Chatel
Social Sharing Pontiac-Kitigan Zibi voters have chosen to stay with Sophie Chatel, CBC News projects. The Liberals have now won the last four elections in the area, which has gone NDP and Conservative before. Chatel was previously an accountant who worked at the federal finance department and Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD). The very large riding stretches from Gatineau north to the border with Abitibi-Baie-James-Nunavik-Eeyou — which runs north to Labrador — and from the Highway 105 area west to the Dumoine River. Formerly known as Pontiac, the regular independent boundary review after the 2021 census added Kitigan Zibi to its name to represent the Algonquin community at its centre. There were also some geographical changes in its south. Six candidates ran this time.
