Government of Canada Announces Expansion of Rouge National Urban Park!

Canada’s first national urban park is growing.

On July 11, 2015, the Government of Canada announced it was committing 21 km² of new lands to Rouge National Urban Park, increasing the boundaries of Canada’s first national urban park by over 36 per cent.

The new lands, which include forests, meadows, streams, important archaeological sites and large tracts of farmland, are located in the City of Pickering and the Township of Uxbridge. Once transferred, these lands will be under the protection of Parks Canada and preserved forever.

Once completed, Rouge National Urban Park will be one of the largest and best protected urban parks of its kind in North America. With the addition of these new lands, a total of 79.1 km² (7,956 hectares) of land have been committed to Rouge National Urban Park – making it 19 times larger than Stanley Park in Vancouver, 22 times larger than Central Park in New York, and close to 50 times larger than Toronto’s High Park.

Quick Facts

• Rouge National Urban Park is located in the cities of Toronto, Markham and Pickering and in the Township of Uxbridge.
• Situated in close proximity to 20 per cent of Canada’s population, Rouge National Urban Park will create unprecedented opportunities for Canadians to connect with the country’s vast network of protected heritage areas.
• The Rouge National Urban Park Act was passed by the House of Commons on January 26, 2015, and by the Senate on April 2, 2015; it received Royal Assent from the Governor General on April 23, 2015. The Act came into force – formally establishing Rouge National Urban Park – via Order-in-Council on May 15, 2015. The Act is tailor-made to provide the Rouge with its strongest ever protections.
• Rouge National Urban Park is home to a unique combination of natural, cultural and agricultural features including: 1,700 species of plants, birds, fish, mammals, insects, reptiles and amphibians; more than 10,000 years of human history; and large tracts of Class 1 farmland, the rarest, most fertile and endangered in the country.

Map of all lands committed for Rouge National Urban Park, including those announced on July 11, 2015.
© Parks Canada

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