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The dream of designating the Ottawa River a heritage site could die within days if the federal government does not give its final approval for the project.
That grim prognosis comes from Larry Graham, chairman of the Ottawa River Heritage Designation Committee, who shares a growing frustration in the community that the river will not receive its long-overdue recognition as one of the nation’s most important physical landmarks.
The committee has been hoping to wrap up the nominating process so the proposal can be put before the Canadian Heritage Rivers System in May.
With the Province of Ontario on board, the nomination forms now await federal environment minister John Baird’s signature. Mr. Graham said Wednesday time is running out.
“It’s going to die on their doorstep,” he warned.
In the five years since the idea was first unveiled during a ceremony in Petawawa, more than 100 volunteers have worked tirelessly to ensure the Ottawa River met the strict prerequisites set out by the organization, which falls under Parks Canada. The formal nomination papers were submitted to the Canadian Heritage Rivers technical planning committee in February, 2006 and have passed every administrative hurdle since.
Alarmed that it’s been held up in Ottawa, Mr. Graham led a delegation on Aug. 20, 2007 to meet with Mr. Baird. The minister assured them the nomination would be signed within 60 days.
Subsequently, when that deadline passed, Mr. Graham was informed by Renfrew-Nipissing-Pembroke MP Cheryl Gallant that final approval was not far off.
“No one to date has been able to give me an answer as to why this hasn’t happened,” he said, adding he has corresponded with Mr. Baird’s staff on six occasions since last summer’s face-to-face meeting.
Fred Blackstein, who has been working on the project as a volunteer and as a member of the Ottawa River Steering Committee, also attended the August meeting along with Petawawa Mayor Bob Sweet. He said the volunteers who have sacrificed a great deal of time and energy to make heritage designation a reality are growing frustrated.
“Unfortunately, in the six months since that meeting, there appears to have been no progress,” Mr. Blackstein said.
What perplexes Mr. Blackstein is that the rivers which feed into the Ottawa, namely the French, Rideau and Mattawa Rivers, already enjoy heritage status. However, such a title eludes the 1,271 kilometre body of water made famous by Samuel de Champlain and the second largest river in Eastern Canada.
In 2006, the committee gained a loud voice of support when the Eastern Ontario Wardens Caucus (EOWC) championed the cause of heritage designation.
As Renfrew County Warden, Mayor Sweet led that charge ensuring it was part of the Eastern Ontario Opportunities Action Plan, a joint economic development study conducted with the province.
Later, he continued pressing the issue with then EOWC Warden Doug Struthers arguing the designation would boost the river’s image as a tourist attraction as well as a natural and cultural watershed.
The EOWC advocated the project during recent pre-budget hearings with the federal finance department.
“There’s no question the river should be designated,” said Mayor Sweet. “It was the ‘Highway 401’ of the 17th and 18th centuries and it’s the river that opened up western Canada.”
Mayor Sweet quelled concerns that the designation could stop recreational boaters from travelling on the river and would open it up to development that would spoil its natural attractions.
“This won’t alter the river and it’s not going to restrict anything on the river,” he said.
Mr. Graham fears they will miss the next crucial deadline when the Canadian Heritage Rivers System’s board of governors expects to review the committee’s 10-year strategic plan once it receives designation. In anticipation of receiving the green light, the committee has already completed a heritage strategy report. The declaration of the Ottawa River as a heritage site would come in 2009 when the Canadian Heritage Rivers System holds its annual general meeting in the nation’s capital.
However, Mr. Blackstein remarked it took five years to organize the 1994 International Plowing Match, five years to design and build the Pembroke waterfront and five years to raise millions for victims of the 1998 Eastern Ontario-Western Quebec ice storm. He pointed out this effort could eclipse those achievements if it continues to drag on. He added some volunteers are ready to move on to other initiatives.
He said the committee has gained the support and help of Renfrew-Nipissing-Pembroke MPP John Yakabuski, but mused that a demonstration on Parliament Hill might be its next course of action. “I wonder if the time has come to have a large public rally, should we,” he stated rhetorically. “Should we consider doing that to make our presence known? I don’t know.”
While it may surprise most that the Ottawa River wasn’t declared an historic site years ago, Mr. Graham said it’s not an easy process to gain designation.
“This is a Canadian project and we’re doing this for Canada,” he said. “It’s all about the river.”
Mayor Sweet said he’s confident the nomination will clear the minister’s desk adding the committee has met all the criteria and the benchmarks laid out by the federal government.
“It’s centuries in the making,” he said. “It’s important the river be recognized for the contribution it’s made to developing Canada as a country.”
Under the auspices of Parks Canada, the Canadian Heritage Rivers System is the national river conservation program. It promotes, protects and enhances Canada’s river heritage and ensures they are managed in a sustainable manner.
schase@thedailyobserver.ca
The Daily Observer