PHOTO: Eric Reder (MARC GALLANT / FREE PRESS ARCHIVES)

300-bed facility not suitable for lake

The pristine wilderness of a Whiteshell lake is about as far away as you can get from a Tim Hortons drive-thru.

But the coffee-and-doughnut chain that has become a Canadian icon has set its sights on building a year-round 300-bed facility for underprivileged youth on Crown land near Meditation Lake.

And, given the environmental sensitivity surrounding Meditation Lake, where motorized vehicles are prohibited, sparks are starting to fly.

"Meditation Lake is a fragile, back-country lake with no development near it and only walk-in access," said Eric Reder, the Manitoba campaign director of the national wilderness protection group, Wilderness Committee.

"We need a public vision of how our natural areas are going to be protected."

David Morelli, Tim Hortons' director of public affairs, refused to discuss the Meditation Lake project. However, Morelli confirmed that the company's foundation had agreed to open a youth camp in Manitoba in 2011.

"It would be inappropriate to speculate on the location or other details until a formal agreement has been finalized," Morelli said in an email to the Free Press.

The non-profit Tim Horton Children's Foundation operates six facilities for disadvantaged youth in Canada and the United States.

While Tim Hortons camps have earned praise for the national chain, Jim Harrison -- who has a cottage in the Whiteshell -- suggests a boycott might be needed to save Meditation Lake.

"We have to do everything we can do to stop this," Harrison said.

He said Conservation staff told him they knew nothing about the project, even though Conservation Minister Stan Struthers confirmed Tuesday morning that talks are taking place with Tim Hortons.

Harrison said the Meditation Lake area is environmentally sensitive and conservation officials had ruled out any further development in the area.

As well, Harrison said Conservation also posted Meditation Lake as being contaminated and unsafe for humans, adding he wonders why Conservation would allow a youth camp to be built there.

Conservation Minister Stan Struthers said talks are ongoing with Tim Hortons, but nothing would be built until the public is consulted in late April or early May.

"We need to see something more concrete from the proponent," Struthers said.

"It all fits in with our approach to take logs out and put kids in. We want to use our parks as classrooms to teach them the great outdoors."

Struthers said while some clearing has taken place near Meditation Lake, a road will not be built unless an agreement is in place with the company.

Struthers also said the environment would be analyzed before any project went ahead.

Last year, thousands of dead clams washed up on the shore of Meditation Lake while an algae bloom was seen on the surface of the water.

Reder said the province should conduct public consultations before deciding to pursue a deal with Tim Hortons or any other developer.

Reder -- who is concerned about the number of developments inside provincial parks and wilderness areas that have no management plans -- said that by building a road to Meditation Lake, it will bring vehicles to other nearby isolated areas, such as Horseshoe Lake. "There is road access to many of the lakes in the Whiteshell now but to preserve the natural integrity of the wilderness system, restricted access must be left for some areas," Reder said.