Clifford Lincoln endorses
new wildlife reserve

The former Environment Minister writes to honourable ministers in support of a new national wildlife area

Letter co-signed by friends of the environment and colleagues

THE CHALLENGE

The preservation in perpetuity of the last large marshland and riverine ecosystem on the island of Montreal, the Technoparc wetlands and adjacent federal lands; the protection of 200 hectares of rare natural environments, the size of Mount Royal Park; the creation of a National Wildlife Area on federal lands now to ensure the protection of the Technoparc’s natural spaces.

PORTRAIT

Clifford Lincoln was first elected to the National Assembly in 1981; he served as Minister of the Environment from 1985 to 1989. Recognized as a “man of principle”, Clifford Lincoln continued to serve the public by becoming the federal deputy for the riding of Lac-Saint-Louis in 1993. Upon his retirement in 2004, Montreal’s environmental community celebrated his career by planting a sugar maple tree in his honour. This tree is located in the gardens of the Sarto Desnoyers Community Centre in Dorval and bears the plaque “Clifford Lincoln – Champion of the Environment”.

Interviews with Clifford Lincoln by appointment.
Liaison: Sylvia Oljemark, 514 332-9146 ; golfhawk75@gmail.com 

OPEN LETTER

Support for the request to create a National Wildlife Area on federal lands adjacent to the Technoparc, north of Pierre Elliott Trudeau Airport.

Montreal, December 3, 2020

The Honourable Ministers Marc Garneau, Jonathan Wilkinson and Steven Guilbeault,

We, the undersigned, citizens of Greater Montreal, share the vision and goal of preserving, for the common good and future generations, certain vital natural spaces in the urban environment.

Our specific goal is the preservation in perpetuity of the last large marshland and riverine ecosystem on the island of Montreal. This ecosystem – the wetlands of the Technoparc and adjacent federal lands – is composed of various contiguous natural environments, as shown on the attached detailed map.

Map of the proposed National Wildlife Area – Image: Jim Harris, Groupe TechnoparcOiseaux

The purpose of this letter, therefore, is to reiterate and support the request that has already been presented to you, and which has been positively received by the Minister of Transport, the Honourable Marc Garneau, to create a National Wildlife Area north of Pierre Elliott Trudeau Airport on federal lands.

We want to ensure that now and in the future, a National Wildlife Area is formally created as soon as possible to conserve the federally-owned portion of Montreal’s last remaining large marshland and riverine ecosystem. Our approach reflects the federal government’s commitment in the last Speech from the Throne that: “The pandemic has reminded Canadians how precious nature is to them. The government will work with municipalities as part of a new commitment to increase the number of parks in urban areas so that everyone has access to green space…”

Hubert-Reeves marsh before destruction (2015) – Image: Hubert Gendron

We offer you our full collaboration towards the realization of this project, and we are at your disposal for any step that could lead to its future progress.

Yours sincerely, Mr. Garneau, Mr. Wilkinson and Mr. Guilbeault,

Clifford Lincoln

Elizabeth May, O.C., Member of Parliament for Saanich-Gulf Islands, Parliamentary Leader of the Green Party of Canada

Georges Bourelle, Mayor of the City of Beaconsfield, Member of the Agglomeration Council of Montreal

Julie Brisebois, Mayor of Senneville, Member of the Agglomeration Council of Montreal

Heidi Ektvedt, Mayor, City of Baie-D’Urfé

Paola Hawa, Mayor of the City of Sainte-Anne-de-Bellevue, member of the Montréal Agglomeration Council

Normand Marinacci, LL.L., Borough Mayor of L’Île-Bizard-Sainte-Geneviève

Luc Ferrandez, former head of large parks and Mayor of Plateau-Mont-Royal, columnist for 98.5

Peter B. Yeomans, former Mayor of the City of Dorval and Member of the Executive Committee, City of Montreal

Ryan Young, Councillor, Town of Sainte-Anne-de-Bellevue

Margo Heron, Councillor, City of Dorval

Paul Trudeau, Councillor, City of Dorval

Daniel Green, Co-Chair, Société pour vaincre la pollution, former Deputy Leader, Green Party of Canada

Alex Tyrell, Leader of the Green Party of Quebec

Alain Branchaud, Executive Director, Société pour la nature et les parcs (SNAP Quebec)

Joël Coutu, on behalf of the 2,600 members of the TechnoparcOiseaux Group

Sophie Paradis, Quebec Chief Conservation Officer, World Wildlife Fund Canada (WWF-Canada)

Georges R. Dupras, Founder and Director of the Animal Alliance of Canada – Bear Protection.

Rob Laidlaw, Certified Biologist, Royal Institute of Biology, author and CEO of Zoocheck Canada

Barry Kent MacKay, Artist and Naturalist, Director of Canadian and Special Programs at Born Free USA

Sarah Teigeiro, M.Eng., Ph.D. candidate at Polytechnique Montreal, on behalf of her family and fellow students

Sylvia Oljemark, Co-founder, Green Coalition – more than sixty citizen groups dedicated to the protection of the environment

Feature image: Clifford Lincoln (front right) accompanying environmentalists from the Green Coalition and the Association for the Protection of Angell Woods on Angell Woods Day in the spring of 2004.

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