The petition was inadvertently closed by Change.org after a one-year period. I requested that it be reopened in order to update you on our progress and continued resistance from the Ontario government. The best place for regular updates is on Facebook. If you LIKE our page at this link, you'll have access to many photos, videos, and new info. You could put us over 4,000...or more. https://www.facebook.com/Save-Wilderness-Discovery-Resort-For-The-Disabled-1559139154332674/ Wilderness Discovery Resort For The Disabled was closed this season for the first time in decades since HAGI abandoned the property and the lease. David Shannon, the executive director of HAGI was replaced. In recent months, area Rotary and Kinsmen clubs have allied to try to reopen the camp next season. The Ministry Of Infrastructure, headed by Bob Chiarelli, has reportedly demanded an increase in the annual lease from $3,500 to $87,000. That is absolutely outrageous! I submitted a letter to Thunder Bay media outlets for a call to action. I am pleading to extend this call to every one of you. Here is the letter as printed: http://www.chroniclejournal.com/opinion/letters_to_editor/this-is-your-call-to-action-to-save-camp-for/article_e5847d6e-6bdd-11e6-a519-1f5482c91070.html HERE IS A SAMPLE LETTER that you can COPY & PASTE to SEND to your MPP and Bob Chiarelli: bchiarelli.mpp.co@liberal.ola.org Dear Mr. Chiarelli, As a supporter of the rights of people with disabilities, I am appalled at the government's unwillingness to resolve a long-standing issue. Since the news of the pending closure of Wilderness Discovery Resort For The Disabled in January of 2015, tens of thousands have demanded that our crown land on Lake Shebandowan should be designated as permanently protected for use by the disability community. In the Thunder Bay area, area civic organizations have banded together to craft a realistic and efficient plan to restore and make the camp available to our disabled citizens and tourists as soon as the 2017 season. They have requested an annual lease of one dollar. This is not an unreasonable request. Concessions are made to industry every day. They can be made to our charities. Ontario's disabled deserve to be treated with equal respect. Able-bodied travelers can vacation anywhere they wish, and they do. Others are continually marginalized by barriers and inaccessibility. Wilderness Discovery is a unique exception that provides recreational equality and deserves the swift action of your ministry. Please stop your exorbitant lease demand that will only hurt Ontario's disabled children, seniors, war heroes, and families. The province does not need to glean dollars from charities while providing tax breaks for business. It's inconceivable to think that helping people who care for our disabled would be an unpopular decision. To the contrary, NOT helping most certainly will be. Please act immediately so our families can experience the majesty and sanctuary of the Canadian wilderness as soon as 2017, and for many years to come, just like anyone else. Thank you. (Your Name) --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Our time is very short. We have been able to extend deadlines, but we can't do that indefinitely. Are they trying to wait us out? They never counted on the likes of us. Our disabled loved ones fight every day. We can do NO LESS! Don't fail them! #SaveWildernessDiscovery Resort For The Disabled