It takes a community to create a national urban park

There have been many milestones since Parks Canada first announced plans to create Canada’s first national urban park.

Since 2011, Parks Canada has worked closely with countless individuals, First Nations, other levels of government, the park’s farming community, community organizations, conservation groups and volunteers to realize the dream of creating Rouge National Urban Park.

All told, Parks Canada has engaged over 20,000 Canadians on Rouge National Urban Park, making this one of the most successful public engagement programs in Parks Canada’s 105-year-old history.

Here are some key achievements over the past few years:

1. June 3, 2011 – In the Speech from the Throne, the Government of Canada commits to work towards the creation of a national urban park in the Rouge Valley in the Greater Toronto Area.

2. May 25, 2012 –The Government of Canada provides $143.7 million for the first 10 years of Rouge National Urban Park’s establishment, management and operations, and $7.6 million annually thereafter for continuing operations.

3. June 11, 2013 – The Province of Ontario commits to transferring 21.5 km² of land to Parks Canada for Rouge National Urban Park via the Federal-Provincial Agreement.

4. June 11, 2013 – Transport Canada confirms their intention to transfer 19.1 km² of land to Parks Canada for Rouge National Urban Park.

5. June 13, 2014 – The Rouge National Urban Park Act is tabled in Parliament.

6. June 21, 2014 – Parks Canada releases Rouge National Urban Park’s very first management plan in draft for public review and feedback. This document will guide the management of the park over a 10-year period.

7. December 12, 2014 – Parks Canada signs a binding land assembly agreement for the remaining park lands identified for Rouge National Urban Park with Toronto and Region Conservation Authority, the cities of Toronto, Markham and Pickering, and the municipalities of York and Durham.

8. April 1, 2015 – The Government of Canada announces the official transfer of 19.1 km² of Transport Canada lands to Parks Canada – the very first lands that will make up Rouge National Urban Park in the Greater Toronto Area.

9. April 23, 2015 – The Rouge National Urban Park Act receives Royal Assent from the Governor General. The national urban park was officially created on May 15, 2015 when the Rouge National Urban Park Act came into force by Order-in-Council.

10. July 11, 2015 – The Government of Canada announces they will contribute an additional 21 km² of new lands to Rouge National Urban Park, making it the largest and best protected urban park of its kind in North America once fully established.

11. June 9, 2016 –The Government of Canada tabled amendments to the Rouge National Urban Park Act to ensure that the ecological integrity of the park is the first priority in the park’s management. The Government of Canada also provided greater certainty for park farmers by announcing that one-year leases would be replaced with leases of up to 30 years to ensure long-term stability for park farmers and their families—some of whom have been farming in the Rouge Valley since 1799.

12. June 18, 2016 – The Prime Minister of Canada visited the park to take part in an announcement with the Province of Ontario, where the province reconfirmed their commitment to transfer lands they own or control to Parks Canada to complete the establishment of Rouge National Urban Park.

13. April 1, 2017 – Transport Canada transfers an additional 21 km² of lands to Parks Canada for Rouge National Urban Park. Parks Canada now manages more than 40 km² of lands committed for Rouge National Urban. In total, 79.1 km² of lands have been committed to Parks Canada for the park by all levels of government.

14. June 19, 2017 – Bill C-18 receives Royal Assent. Bill C-18 amended the Rouge National Urban Park Act to ensure the Rouge National Urban Park will have the strongest possible ecological protections, while affirming the role of park farmers so they can continue to provide local food as they have been doing for the past two centuries

15. October 21, 2017 – The Province of Ontario transfers and releases its interest in 22.8 km² of land for Rouge National Urban Park. A new app for the park is also launched. Created by students at the University of Toronto Scarborough’s innovation hub, in partnership with Parks Canada, the app offers users the chance to explore the park’s rich history, forests and trails like never before.

16. May 4, 2018 – The City of Pickering transfers 10 parcels of land totalling 8.22 hectares (20.3 acres) to Parks Canada for Rouge National Urban Park.

17. November 1, 2018 – The Toronto and Region Conservation Authority transfers more than 190 hectares (470 acres) of land in Bob Hunter Memorial Park to Parks Canada to help complete Rouge National Urban Park.

18. January 16, 2019 – The Rouge National Urban Park Management Plan is tabled in Parliament. Since 2011, Parks Canada has engaged more than 20,000 Canadians and has worked closely with Indigenous Peoples, all levels of government, community groups, conservationists, park farmers, residents, volunteers, and many other groups to establish the park and complete its first management plan. This document will guide the management of the park as it moves from establishment to full operation.

19. June 15, 2019 – Parks Canada and the Toronto Region and Conservation Authority (TRCA) announce that TRCA has transferred 18.5 km² of lands to Parks Canada to become part of Rouge National Urban Park. The transferred lands include the majority of the original regional Rouge Park and some of the last remaining tracts of Class-1 farmland in the GTA. Rouge National Urban Park is now 95% complete!
    

20. August 27, 2019 – Parks Canada and the Toronto Zoo announce the location of the future Rouge National Urban Park education and welcome centre, which will be built on the lands currently operated as the Zoo’s overflow parking lot 4. The facility will be a learning and orientation facility where students, visitors, and residents can gather and learn about the Rouge’s incredible natural, cultural, agricultural and Indigenous heritage, as well as about Parks Canada’s places across the country.
    

21. September 23, 2019 – The very first Parks Canada-built facilities and trail open in Rouge National Urban Park. This includes the Reesor and 19^th Ave Day Use Areas, as well as a new five-kilometre family-friendly multi-use trail that connects the two day use areas, which includes scenic lookouts and rest areas, and weaves through marshlands, shaded woodlots and agricultural fields.