The Ontario Federation of Anglers and Hunters (O.F.A.H.) condemns the recent decision made by the McGuinty Liberal government to close the Leslie M. Frost Natural Resources Centre in Dorset, Ontario as part of the budgetary cutbacks ordered by the Premier.
“For thousands of school children, outdoor organizations, Ministry staff and anyone associated with the outdoor community, the closure of this facility as part of a budgetary exercise is a travesty, and a major blow to outdoor education in the Province of Ontario”, said Mike Reader, O.F.A.H. Executive Director. “The closure is apparently related to budget cutbacks ordered by Premier Dalton McGuinty and Finance Minister Greg Sorbara, which placed Natural Resources Minister David Ramsay in the unenviable position of having to close this first class facility. The Frost Centre is used by outdoor organizations across the province, Boards of Education, schools, and the Ministry of Natural Resources to train its own staff, including Conservation Officers. It’s difficult to see how it can be replaced, and impossible to justify the decision given that the government just invested hundreds of thousands of dollars on a new roof for the main administration building and extensive renovations to the kitchen and dorm washrooms, some of which were only finished a few weeks ago.”
Mr. Reader noted that the Frost Centre, is home to the highly popular O.F.A.H. Women’s Outdoor Weekend held in September, as well as dozens of conferences, outdoor education seminars, and Ministry staff meetings. “The Centre’s facilities, and the opportunities for educating people about Ontario’s natural resources don’t exist anywhere else in the Province. It’s impossible to believe that the Premier and Minister of Finance couldn’t have achieved the necessary cost savings through other means. The O.F.A.H. has indicated to the government that it would be pleased to work with them in anyway possible to help keep the centre open,” added Mr. Reader.