Today is the last day of the Manitoba government's very short and secretive public consultation period on the Fisher Bay area. Please take the time right now to stand up for wilderness in Manitoba and ask that a provincial park be made immediately in Fisher Bay.

The Fisher Bay area has been in temporary protection three separate times already in the last decade, as we wait for the government to finally fulfill a promise to make a provincial park. Now, the government wants to draw the decision out for five more years, and is asking that Manitobans accept another temporary park reserve.

The Wilderness Committee has repeatedly voiced our objections to the slow pace of protected area work. We are more than a decade behind reaching modest protection goals that were announced in 1990. Ontario just passed legislation, Bill 191, that says they will permanently protect at least 50% of their northern boreal forest region, yet Manitoba can't even sign the papers to protect a park that has far-reaching community and public support. Just over 8% of Manitoba is protected right now, and preserving Fisher Bay in a new park is a step we need to take to safeguard our natural heritage.

Chief David Crate of Fisher River Cree Nation, who has worked tirelessly to set aside this land from industrial activity, said in a release this morning: "It is time for the government to quit stalling and establish the Fisher Bay park now for the benefit of all Manitobans. The outstanding support for the park gives the province a silver-platter opportunity to protect this diverse and beautiful area for future generations of people and wildlife."

Please send an email to parksystem@gov.mb.ca, and voice your opinion on whether we should establish a new provincial park RIGHT NOW!

You can read the stakeholder summary and the public consultation information brochure on the Manitoba government website by clicking here.