Dear Premier McGuinty, After promising to protect an old-growth forest near Wolf Lake in Temagami, your government is looking to change policy that would encourage industrial expansion rather than promoting environmental protection, forests, and recreation. I am incredibly disappointed that the Ministry of Natural Resources plans to backtrack on a longstanding agreement to protect the lake and surrounding ecosystems. The Ontario Ministry of Natural Resources recently commissioned a report stating that this area “may be the largest remaining contiguous, old-growth red-pine dominated forests in North America,” and it is disappointing to see that this may be compromised by changing the forests status from “forest reserve” designation to “general use” designation. As you know, “general use” designation would allow logging and mining companies to lease the forests surrounding Wolf Lake. Flag Resources has already stated their intent for developing mines in this region, which would destroy old-growth forests and water resources. It would be a great failure of the Ministry of Natural Resources to allow the land to be leased, for exploration to continue, and for mines to be developed. I join many others in calling on you to defend the Wolf Lake Region and Temagami, and protect Ontario’s old-growth forests. I ask that you prohibit the removal of the “forest reserve” designation and ensure that the lake is protected, and the land is turned into parkland. I will continue to watch this situation closely to protect Ontario’s old growth forest. Sincerely,

* Please note that we've been experiencing a high volume of email submissions. When you press "Send letter", you should land on our "thank you" page. Even if you don't see the "thank you" message, your email will still be sent as soon as the server is free, and you may close the window. If you have any questions, or would like verification that your email was submitted successfully, please email webmaster@canadians.org.