House leader touts eco-tourism
The Liberal government’s House leader spent her Friday in Niagara to discuss measures in the 2018 budget that support nature conservation and eco-tourism.
Along with a visit to Niagara College’s Niagara-on-the-Lake campus, Minister Bardish Chagger held a fireside chat at the Niagara Parks Butterfly Conservatory to stress more than $1.3 billion being invested over five years in nature conservation — the largest undertaking of its kind in Canadian history.
Included in the investment will be $500 million towards a new $1-billion Nature Fund, which will secure private land, support provincial and territorial species protection efforts, and enhance Indigenous capacity to conserve land and species.
Chardish, who is also Canada’s minister of small business and tourism, pointed to Canada’s “clear lakes, majestic forests and big open skies” as a huge draw for nearly 21 million visitors from abroad in 2017.
“We know that by protecting our environment today, we will leave a true legacy for our children, for our grandchildren and or generations to come.”
In addition to a tour of the college campus and butterfly conservatory, Chagger met with representatives from the Nature Conservancy of Canada and the Bruce Trail Conservancy.
“We look forward to working with governments and all our partners to leverage the new Nature Fund investment to achieve conservation results of global significance,” said Nature Conservancy president John Lounds.
Added Bruce Trail Conservancy CEO Beth Gilhespy, “Interacting with nature — even a simple walk in the woods — brings physical and emotional health and wellness to our citizens and our communities.
“With the support of the Nature Fund, we can ensure that more natural land is preserved and that the positive benefits of natural species — ecological, health and societal — will continue to enrich our communities.”
Announced by Chagger last May, Canada’s New Tourism Vision includes a number of items that link the tourism industry to the environment, including growing the country’s Indigenous tourism industry and investing in regionally diverse tourism offerings.
It aims to increase international visits to Canada by 30 per cent by 2021, doubling Chinese visits to Canada by 2021 and positioning Canada as a top 10 destination ranking by 2025.