Toronto Recreational Fisheries Plan

[TJQ]

Just got this in.. thought id share here.

 

Public Meetings for the Greater Toronto and Area Waterfront: An Urban Recreational Fisheries Plan

 

The Ministry of Natural Resources and four Conservation Authorities – Toronto and Region, Credit Valley, Central Lake Ontario, and Ganaraska Region have initiated the preparation of an Urban Recreational Fisheries Plan for the Greater Toronto and Area. Other partners in the process are the municipalities, federal and provincial agencies and the Ontario Federation of Anglers and Hunters. The Urban Recreational Fisheries Plan effectively covers the north shore of Lake Ontario from the western border of the City of Mississauga extending to the eastern border of Durham Region.

The plan will integrate information on the state of the fisheries and their habitat with existing plans and strategies to create a document to guide the partners and other interested parties in improving urban recreational fishing opportunities. The plan will look at improving access to shoreline fishing, taking a systematic approach to improving fish habitat, and promote the diverse fishing opportunities available along the waterfront. The fall meetings will present a draft of the plan to the public and it is important to get as many anglers and interested citizens as possible to the meetings to demonstrate that urban fishing is a vital interest to the fishing community. Public feedback will be incorporated into the plan, which is scheduled to be completed spring of 2014.

Five public meetings have been scheduled around the Greater Toronto Area in October and November. The meetings will be similar but local issues will be discussed.

Public Meeting schedule:

Thursday October 17, 2013
Central Lake Ontario Conservation Authority Office
100 Whiting Avenue, Oshawa, Ontario L1H 3T3
Doors open at 6:30 PM, presentation starts at 7:00 PM meeting to conclude at 9:00 PM.

Tuesday October 22, 2013
Ajax Town Hall, Council Chambers
65 Harwood Avenue South, Ajax, Ontario L1S 2H9
Doors open at 6:30 PM, presentation starts at 7:00 PM meeting to conclude at 9:00 PM.

Thursday October 24, 2013
Pickering City Hall, Council Chambers
One the Esplanade South, Pickering, Ontario L1V 6K7
Doors open at 6:30 PM, presentation starts at 7:00 PM meeting to conclude at 9:00 PM.

Tuesday October 29, 2013
Metro Hall, Room 308 and 309
55 John Street, Toronto, Ontario M5V 3C6
Doors open at 6:30 PM, presentation starts at 7:00 PM meeting to conclude at 9:00 PM.

Tuesday November 5, 2013
Clarke Memorial Hall
161 Lakeshore Road West, Mississauga, Ontario L5H 1G3
Doors open at 6:30 PM, presentation starts at 7:00 PM meeting to conclude at 9:00 PM.

The meetings are open to all members of public so please forward this email to anyone who would be interested in learning more about the Urban Recreational Fisheries Plan. For more information on the plan please visit our website aquatichabitat.ca/wp/recreational-fisheries-plan/.

For more information, please contact:

Rick Portiss
Manager of Restoration and Environmental Monitoring Projects
Restoration Services Division
Toronto and Region Conservation Authority
5 Shoreham Drive
Downsview, ON M3N 1S4
Tel: 416-661-6600 ext 5302
E-mail: [email protected]

See you at the public meetings

 

 

[chris_robinson]

Just a reminder that the first of these meetings is tomorrow night in Oshawa. Hopefully a good crowd makes it out to show the agencies that urban fishing opportunities are important to anglers, even those who don't necessarily fish the waterfront but support increased opportunities for others.

 

Yours in Conservation,

Chris Robinson

OFAH Zone 20 (West) Representative (also on the technical team for this plan)

[Dara]

Sounds like a lot of high priced help to me

[Richie Razor]

Sounds like a lot of high priced help to me

 

Would you rather it be uneducated and unqualified personnel spearheading these projects? Perhaps your more qualified?

[gogu392]

The plan sound good, very good.

[Ron]

Just thought I'd bump this up. I forgot to for the first meeting.

 

For anyone who fishes from shore on a stream or river, it would be of great benefit to attend these meetings. Only anglers can show support for anglers. There have been several individual people who have fought to protect our rights as anglers yet very few ever attend these meetings to show support. Let the cities know that "YES THERE IS URBAN FISHING OPPORTUNITIES"! Even if you don't fish from shore, come and support your fellow anglers. One day it will be all taken away if we don't stand together.

[chris_robinson]

For anyone who fishes from shore on a stream or river, it would be of great benefit to attend these meetings. Only anglers can show support for anglers. There have been several individual people who have fought to protect our rights as anglers yet very few ever attend these meetings to show support. Let the cities know that "YES THERE IS URBAN FISHING OPPORTUNITIES"! Even if you don't fish from shore, come and support your fellow anglers. One day it will be all taken away if we don't stand together.

 

Well put Ron.

 

Tonight's meeting is in Ajax, hopefully we see more anglers out - this is a chance to be proactive in creating angling opportunities, rather than reactive when opportunities are taken away.

 

Yours in Conservation,

Chris Robinson

OFAH

[aplumma]

Looks like a good time for everyone who has an interest in this to speak out.

 

 

Art

[John Bacon]

There will also be a meeting in down town Toronto next week.

 

Tuesday October 29, 2013
Metro Hall, Room 308 and 309
55 John Street, Toronto, Ontario M5V 3C6
Doors open at 6:30 PM, presentation starts at 7:00 PM meeting to conclude at 9:00 PM.

[John Bacon]

Just a reminder, the Pickering session is today. I understand that the Tuesday meeting was not well attended.

 

Thursday October 24, 2013
Pickering City Hall, Council Chambers
One the Esplanade South, Pickering, Ontario L1V 6K7
Doors open at 6:30 PM, presentation starts at 7:00 PM meeting to conclude at 9:00 PM.

[David Chong]

I'm planning on being at the Toronto meeting next Tues. Hopefully we'll see many OFNer's there!

[fishindude]

I will be in attendance Tuesday night

Hope to meet you Dave

[John Bacon]

The Toronto meeting should be good. I was at the Pickering meeting today. We ended up talking a lot about Frenchman's Bay. However, they also had quite a bit about the down town area. There has been a lot of studying being down in that area. I think they tailor the sessions somewhat to the location. There should be an interesting discussion if you get a good turn out. I think they have more info about that area.

[chris_robinson]

Reminder that tonight's the Toronto meeting, at Metro Hall (55 John St.) rooms 308 and 309, doors open at 6:30. Just heading out now for it, we'll have some tables on Tackle Share, Angler Awards, Record Fish, Invasive Species, etc.

 

Chris Robinson

OFAH

[grizzlybri]

I'm planning on going to the one in Mississauga on the 5th

[chris_robinson]

Reminder that tomorrow is the last of the initial public meetings on the GTA Urban Recreational Fishing Plan, this one covering opportunities in Mississauga, Oakville, and Burlington - the plan has extended west since the meetings were first announced.

 

Tuesday November 5, 2013

Clarke Memorial Hall

161 Lakeshore Road West,

Mississauga, Ontario

L5H 1G3

Doors open at 6:30 PM, presentation starts at 7:00 PM meeting to conclude at 9:00 PM.

 

Last week's meeting in Toronto was the best attended yet, with 28-30 members of the public, most being anglers (4-5 anti-fishing types were there).

 

Yours in Conservation,

Chris Robinson

OFAH