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City of Colwood shortlisted as location for new national park

Federal land adjacent to Fort Rodd Hill National Historic Site in Colwood is shown: Aug. 16, 2021 (CTV News) Federal land adjacent to Fort Rodd Hill National Historic Site in Colwood is shown: Aug. 16, 2021 (CTV News)
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The City of Colwood may soon be home to Parks Canada’s newest national park.

The West Shore community is one of six cities that are in the running for the development of an urban park under Parks Canada's new Urban Parks Program.

The initiative is to create park spaces in urban centres with a focus on making natural settings available to Canadians.

"We were thrilled when the federal government approached us to begin discussing this concept and that Colwood could be one of the first places in Canada to have an urban park," said Colwood Mayor Rob Martin on Monday.

"What we learned is that the federal government really wanted to have national parks accessible to locals so they could come and experience them, rather than having to drive long distances," he said.

Parks Canada says that $130.1 million in funding for the creation of urban parks will come from the $2.3 billion Canada’s Nature Legacy fund, which was announced in the 2021 federal budget.

Parks Canada adds that nearly 72 percent of the country's population lives in urban centres, where access to the benefits of nature and wildlife can be limited.

"Our staff have had preliminary discussions with Parks Canada as to whether it would be feasible, and if the City of Colwood is interested (in the urban parks program)," said Martin. "Colwood has identified two major aspects as we build out our community, one is about family and the other is about nature and this fits into those goals."

Parks Canada is also considering sites for the parks in five other cities. Colwood is in the running for a share of the federal funding with Halifax, Montreal, Windsor, Winnipeg and Edmonton.

Martin says Parks Canada has not revealed a potential location for the Parks Canada Urban Park, but he suspects it may be on property located next to the Fort Rodd Hill/Fisgard Lighthouse National Historic site.

"The Department of National Defence (DND) does have lands next to Fort Rodd Hill and I would anticipate a new national urban park would be rolled into that," he said.

According to the Parks Canada release, the National Urban Parks Program will contribute to Canada’s commitment to protect biodiversity and conserve 25 percent of the country's land, inland waters, marine and coastal areas by 2025.

Parks Canada says it will also work closely with Indigenous partners to ensure national urban parks provide space for Indigenous stewardship. It says the parks program will promote Indigenous voices, stories and offer opportunities for connections to lands and waters based on Indigenous knowledge and values.

"One of the things we realized through COVID is that home is important to everyone," said Martin. "To actually have park lands is so valuable, so to actually have a national urban park in the City of Colwood would be spectacular."

Martin says the pandemic has been especially hard on businesses throughout Greater Victoria. He says by adding an asset like a new national park could help bolster the local tourism industry.

"As you build more assets like a national park, more people will be inspired to come here," he said. "A national urban park will help to drive our economy and that’s one of the things we know we have to be doing here on Southern Vancouver Island."

Martin says Parks Canada has not indicated when it will decide which city or cities will receive funding under the National Urban Parks Program. He says he expects the federal parks organization will announce its choice sometime in autumn 2021. 

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