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Winnipeg Free Press - PRINT EDITION

Tim's defends camp plan

Would teach kids leadership skills

By: Aldo Santin

26/03/2009 1:00 AM | Comments: 12

The Tim Horton Children's Foundation has been in talks with Manitoba Conservation for a year over the construction of an $8-million year-round camp complex near Meditation Lake in the Whiteshell.

David Newnham, foundation vice-president, said the organization was considering a new youth camp in either Saskatchewan or Manitoba, but opted for Manitoba because of the Whiteshell's proximity to a major centre -- Winnipeg -- with an airport and medical facilities.

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Newnham said he recognizes that some people are concerned about the proposal and the secrecy surrounding the project, but the foundation will hold public consultations where complete details on the facility will be released.

"We began to talk to the provincial government at this time last year," Newnham said. "The next step is public consultation for later in April."

The proposal has come under fire from cottagers and an environmental group because of the province's refusal to develop a management plan for its protected areas and because of the secret nature of the talks to date.

Newnham said the site near Meditation Lake was chosen because of its proximity to a no-development zone, which is considered ideal for the wilderness experience the foundation wants to provide.

The foundation operates six other camps for disadvantaged youth in Canada and the U.S., but Newnham said while the other camps target youths between the ages of 9 and 12, the Whiteshell camp would provide leadership training for teens between 13 and 17.

Newnham said the Manitoba program would take youths who have shown promise at its other camps and give them leadership training over five summers.

The Whiteshell camp would consist of several year-round buildings, Newnham said. The camp would accommodate 260 youth and 70 staff. The year-round structures would consist of two sleeping quarters that would accommodate 65 of the youth, a dining hall, a health and wellness unit, a creative arts centre, and a maintenance building.

The other youth would be housed in yurts -- cone-shaped tents built on platforms.

Newnham said the camp would be used exclusively by the foundation during the summer, but local community groups that focus on children would be able to use it during other months.

"We want this to be ... a part of the Whiteshell," Newnham said of the proposed camp.

aldo.santin@freepress.mb.ca

 

Republished from the Winnipeg Free Press print edition March 26, 2009 A9

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12 Commentscomment icon

Tim Horton's, if you really care about the future of kids, build the camp somewhere else. I'm certainly not against helping children, or against business, or even big business. But we have to use common sense and keep our priorities straight. With so much other land available in this vast province, we must not allow corporate exploitation of our precious lakes and forests. Tim Horton's, come to your senses, and don't tell us about some planned public "consultation" about a done deal. In time, Tim Horton's, you will disappear, as most companies eventually do, but the scar you wish to inflict on our pristine wilderness will remain.

For those of you that may not know the facts, please read on.

Meditation Lake is miles from the nearest roadway. The lake is only accessible to those that are willing to hike in a couple miles while carrying their supplies. Motor vehicles are not allowed into this area.

There is no electricity, water, or sewage connections for miles. There are NO OTHER CABINS on the lake. This remoteness has allowed the lake to flourish.

I fail to see why we need to put this camp in this remote location. There are many locations better suited to the camp's needs.

Tim's is creating work in a recession, and trying to held underpriviledged kids. How dare they?!

I will be boycotting Tim's and affiliates (Wendy's) if this goes through.

Is it any surprise that the environment concerns can be "managed"? Do you have ANY idea of how sad the entire process of an enviromental impact study is in this province? It's pretty much a formality that has no real power at all to stop development. If the right people in power are happy (read tax dollars and economic benefits) you can pretty much rape the area all you want. I thought a camp that is to mainly focus on "inner city aboriginal youth" as one person put it would also take into account aboriginal values...one of which is responsible management of wilderness resources... something that will not be respected or taught if this development is allowed to happen.

It does sound like Tuxedo Redevelopment indeed. Unfortunately we are left to whatever the political process in conjuntion with the funding sources want to leave us with. It is one done deal after another. We are wasting our energy making comments that have no possible impact - move to the country and get out of the mess that's about to be made even bigger. I grew up in that area - we used to walk through the grass by the tracks close to Wilkes - it was like being in another place - a good place! Well memories are pleasant and refreshing - atleast some of us boomers can remember the good times. I'm atleast thankful for that! Sorry that our grandchildren will be left with nothing but concrete and the sounds of silence caused by geese gone somewhere else! Might as well close Fort Whyte too and soon there will be no birds left in Assiniboine Forrest - keep it up people! Maybe you can get a pet rock to put in your concrete jungle.

What a bunch of crap! There are surely sites you could buy up somewhere else to provide a wilderness experience that are not in such a sensitive area! DON'T DEVELOP A PRISTINE AREA. If you really cared about the wilderness and teaching children about it then you would care enough to teach them about responsibility... part of which is defending sensitive areas from over zealous developers. I can't believe this will likely go through. If it does you won't ever see me near a Tim's again (or a Wendy's for that matter). The person in charge of this project should be ashamed of themeselves for targetting such a sensitive and beautiful place.

This is a ridiculous use of a protected environmental area! I hope that the cottagers and the environmental group are successful in preventing this.
Don't get me wrong, I don't have anything against disadvantaged youth, getting some face time with nature, but I am sure there are other unprotected areas that could be developed for this purpose.

Here we go again! The opponents of the Tim's camp are the same people that opposed the Ducks Unlimited building at Oak Hammock Marsh about 10 years ago. Do you remember how DU was going to destroy the fragile ecosystem of the marsh? Soooo...how is that going?

As for the existing cottage owners NIMBY is not a valid argument as your per-capita impact on the wilderness is dramatically greater than a higher density camp with state of the art waste handling systems.

The camp will be focused on inner city kids, who will have a large portion of aboriginal kids. What could be more natural than having aboriginal kids exposed to the wilderness ---as they did for thousands of years before any of the cottage owners, urban envionmentalist or their ancestors dragged themselves to the New World?

I rarely agree with Doer, but on this one he is entirely correct the wilderness experience is not just for upper middle class aging white baby boomers and new age urban Druids.

Here we go again–secret meetings–announcement of a done deal, and then meaningless "public consultation." Does this sound like the Tuxedo Yards Redevelopment?

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