The proposed development of Bigwind Lake Provincial Park shared by Ontario Parks on June 22, 2023 (link shared below) creates serious concerns surrounding environmental degradation, infrastructure abilities, and overall proposal transparency.

Regarding the environmental aspect, Bigwind Lake Provincial Park as well as the surrounding areas and lakes it connects with, currently maintains a pristine and largely untouched natural environment, bountiful with plant and animal life. The preservation of its ecological integrity is at risk from the sheer magnitude of this development with up to 250 campsites, 25 camp cabins, and 25 back-country cabins as well as the supporting facilities. The increase in park visitors and required construction efforts to create the park will have serious consequences on the local ecosystems and habitats including:

• Displacing local animal populations
• Disrupting local waterways 
• Littering and increased amounts of garbage on land and in waterways 
• The clearcutting of mature trees to create space for sites
• Creation of unauthorized trails, destroying plant life and impacting sensitive turtle species
• Increased risk of wildfires 
• Introduction of invasive species, such as zebra muscles
• Overfishing of lakes connected to the park
• Harm to the shorelines

In terms of infrastructure, the added visitors to the area raises concerns about access to services as well as area congestion. Specifically, what will this mean for emergency services as the campsites will likely place an increased demand on ambulatory and fire services as well as emergency room visits. Apart from emergency services, there are also concerns surrounding an increase to motorboat activity on the lakes that are included within park boundaries as well as the impact to locally maintained snowmobile trails.

Finally, there has been an overall lack of transparency from Ontario Parks in regard to the specifics of this project. In 2003, a similar development was proposed (link shared below), and in this version it clearly outlined the proposed areas for campsites and the cost breakdown of the park - information that has not yet been shared by Ontario Parks for their proposed development in 2023. The lack of information brings into question why the public is not being made aware of the specifics of the development nor being provided adequate information to comment on. It is also unclear what stopped this development when it was originally proposed and what has changed in the last 20 years? Finally, in the 2023 Background Document, it notes that the Ontario Ministry of the Environment, Conservation, and Parks is currently in the process of obtaining local surveys and assessments of the land, again, bringing into question how the development can be proposed without the proper research to ensure the safety of the land and local ecosystems.

As the sheer magnitude of the proposed development of Bigwind Lake Provincial Park creates various concerns, Ontario Parks and the Ontario Government are urged to consider alternative options that address the listed concerns. These could include creating an park that is limited to day-use, using existing clearings to create a reduced number of campsites (up to 50), or other environmentally sustainable options that would reduce unnecessary stress to the local ecosystems and habitats while limiting future developments to the land.

I ask that you sign this petition to show your commitment to preserving Bigwind Lake Provincial Park, as this may be the only opportunity to publicly voice our concerns. As the commentary period for feedback on the proposal is open until September 4, 2023, I will be keeping this petition open until the end of August and then will be sending it to Ontario Parks and well as relevant Municipal and Provincial Government Representatives. 

Links Referred To:

1. Proposed Development of Bigwind Lake Provincial Park shared by Ontario Parks on June 22, 2023 - https://ero.ontario.ca/notice/019-6666
2. 2003 Development Proposal - https://bracebridge.civicweb.net/document/444/