Tougher protection sought for Rouge lands

The environmental protections for the future Rouge National Urban Park will be less strict than those that currently exist, says a group of environmental organizations in a letter that was sent to Premier Dalton McGuinty earlier this month.

The groups are urging the provincial government to insist on five conditions before signing away large tracts of land on Toronto's eastern edge to the federal government, which will establish Canada's first urban national park.

Exposed Enbridge pipeline in Rouge Park puts waterways at risk

For two and a half years, an Enbridge Inc. pipeline has sat exposed in the Rouge River in Toronto’s Rouge Park.

The river flows to Lake Ontario and is home to a rich ecosystem with vulnerable flora and fauna. If the pipe succumbed to damage or erosion — a possibility in its current state — the spill would be nothing short of a disaster, according to Adam Scott, of the legal organization Environmental Defence.

“If anything, even a small spill, were to happen, it’s quite likely that oil would get into the lake,” Scott said. “It’s a disaster waiting to happen. We should never have been put in this position.”