Today, The Coalition to Save Wolf Lake (of which the Council of Canadians is a proud member) invited Premier McGuinty on a canoe trip to Temagami’s famed Wolf Lake, home to the world’s largest ancient red pine forest. In 1999, the Government of Ontario promised to protect Wolf Lake but it is currently being threatened with mining exploration by Calgary based Flag Resources. A decision about whether to grant the company a mining lease for the next 21 years is expected to be made by the end of this month.
On December 13, 2011, after news broke that Wolf Lake was in danger, Premier McGuinty was quoted in the Toronto Star saying he has paddled the pristine lakes and rivers around Temagami. “I have in fact taken my boys — at the end of every summer we take a canoe trip and we’ve been to Temagami. It’s a great place, beautiful forests, great freshwater lakes — clean freshwater lakes”.
From the Coalition’s press release: Every summer, thousands of people from near and far come to camp at Wolf Lake. Outfitters, guides, lodges, camps, restaurants, and motels depend on the boost that tourism and recreational spending provides.
A group of eight Temagami area camps alone infuses over $3.5 million in direct spending into the economy each year, while providing leadership development, healing, and educational experiences to approximately 700 youth annually.
“Our campers have enjoyed Wolf Lake for over a hundred years, bringing stable, renewable economic activity to Ontario,” said Ingersoll. “We’d like to continue doing that for another hundred years. This area should be permanently protected so that our grandchildren can enjoy it as we have.” Camp Keewaydin alone has contributed over $70 million to the economy since it opened in 1903 by bringing over 16,000 youth on wilderness canoe trips. “Mining in this area will negatively affect our ability to run canoe trips in the region, and the destruction of old-growth forests permanently eliminates a landscape vital to our economic health,” said Eoin Wood, President of the Association of Youth Camps on the Temagami Lakes. More than 50,000 campers have come to the Greater Temagami area over the past 100 years.
MORE INFORMATION: SaveWolfLake.org
Sign the petition here! :http://earthroots.org/index.php?option=com_wrapper&view=wrapper&Itemid=171
