Ontario Liberals want to create 5 new provincial parks if elected

A backcountry campsite is pictured in this 2010 file photo. (The Canadian Press)

The Ontario Liberals will create five new provincial parks and expand Kawartha Highlands Provincial Park if elected in June.

The party announced the bare bones of the plan in a news release issued Thursday morning, saying they would accept nominations for where the new parks would be located.

“Provincial parks help ensure Ontario’s natural beauty is protected for the next generation and they hold a special place in the hearts of Ontario families,” Ontario Liberal Leader Steven Del Duca said in a statement.

“Ontario Liberals will create five new provincial parks when we form government in June, and we’re inviting you to help us decide where they should be.”

A spokesperson for the party said the government would consult on possible locations, understanding that not every area is well suited for a provincial park.

Last year, associate professor at Wilfrid Laurier University Christopher Lemieux told CTV News Toronto’s podcast Life Unmasked that Ontario hasn’t seen an increase in the number of provincial parks in decades. At the same time, he noted there isn’t a lot of opportunity for growth in southern Ontario.

“There's just not a lot of opportunity to establish new areas and when one is established, it takes a long time, there's a pretty extensive public consultation process that goes into that goes into place,” he said. “But, you know, the biggest problem here is that there's not a lot of land available to establish new provincial park system, especially in the southern part of Ontario.”

The Liberals also say they will designate 30 per cent of land as protected areas by 2030 as part of a broader commitment to protect the Greenbelt as well as “expand the size of existing provincial parks, including Kawartha Highlands Provincial Park near Bancroft.”