WINNIPEG — The first of two public information sessions on a proposed Tim Horton children's camp to be developed on Meditation Lake kicks off this afternoon.

The proposal to build the youth leadership camp on the largely undeveloped lake in the Whiteshell Provincial Park has raised the ire of local environmentalists, who say the province should be more transparent about park development and voiced concerns about the lake's water quality.

The open house runs from 3 p.m. to 9 p.m. at the Victoria Inn Hotel at 1808 Wellington Avenue.

Meditation Lake is currently accessible only by foot, and groups like the Wilderness Committee have argued there are other potential camp locations that have already been developed and have better water quality.

Conservation Minister Stan Struthers has countered that the Wilderness Committee's Manitoba director, Eric Reder, refused an invitation to visit the lake with Conservation officials to answer his questions.

A second open house is scheduled for Saturday in the Whiteshell at the Pinewood Lodge on Dorothy Lake, from noon to 5 p.m.

More information on the proposal will be posted on www.manitobaparks.com, or are available by calling Manitoba Conservation at (204) 945-6799.