Search results
Rouge National Urban Park is a national urban park in Ontario, Canada. The park is centred around the Rouge River and its tributaries in the Greater Toronto Area. The southern portion of the park is situated around the mouth of the river in Toronto, and extends northwards into Markham, Pickering, Uxbridge, and Whitchurch-Stouffville.
Discover the natural wonders of Canada through the park's rich assembly of forests, creeks, farms and trails as well as marshland, a beach on Lake Ontario and human history spanning 10,000 years. This park is home to wildlife, including black bears.
- News release
- Quotes
- Quick facts
- Related products
Toronto and Region Conservation Authority transfers 18.5 km2 of land to Parks Canada for Rouge National Urban Park
June 15, 2019 Greater Toronto Area Parks Canada Agency
Nature is central to our identity as Canadians. Even when we live in big cities, we love to escape to forests, rivers, lakes, and wilderness. For millions of Canadians living in the Greater Toronto Area, Rouge National Urban Park puts nature in easy reach. Rouge National Urban Park stretches from the Greenbelt to the shores of Lake Ontario and is filled with dramatic river valleys, majestic forests and wetlands. Accessible by public transit, Rouge National Urban Park gives millions of Canadians the opportunity to hike, paddle, and connect with nature any day of the week.
Today, Gary Anandasangaree, Member of Parliament for Scarborough-Rouge Park, on behalf of Catherine McKenna, Minister of Environment and Climate Change and Minister responsible for Parks Canada, and Jennifer Innis, Chair of the Toronto and Region Conservation Authority (TRCA) Board of Directors, announced that the TRCA has transferred 18.5 km2 of lands to Parks Canada to become part of Rouge National Urban Park. This announcement officially makes Rouge National Urban Park North America’s largest urban park. Mr. Anandasangaree and Chair Innis were joined by government, Indigenous and community partners to mark the occasion at the annual CPAWS Wildlands League’s Paddle the Rouge event.
Today’s event also celebrated the completion of Rouge National Urban Park’s very first Management Plan. Highlights of the management plan include focusing on species-at-risk and habitat restoration, working with the First Nations Advisory Circle, and welcoming all to think of Rouge National Urban Park as the perfect place to learn to camp, paddle, and hike.
As scientific reports show, wildlife and plant species are declining around the globe. The Government of Canada is taking action, doubling the amount of nature protected across our lands and oceans. By doing this, we are protecting the habitats and ecosystems that are home to the plants and animals we love.
“Today is a truly historic day for the Greater Toronto Area, Ontario, and Canada as we fulfil the dream for Rouge National Urban Park of a protected area that stretches all the way from Lake Ontario to the Oak Ridges Moraine. I am thrilled to announce that Rouge National Urban Park is nearly complete and I want to thank the Toronto and Region Conservation Authority for making this possible. Accessible by TTC, Rouge National Urban Park makes connecting to wilderness easy for over seven million Canadians who live in the area. Across Canada, we’re doubling the amount of protected nature to make sure that wildlife and places we love are preserved for future generations.”
Catherine McKenna
Minister of the Environment and Climate Change, and Minister responsible for Parks Canada
“Parks Canada places, like Rouge National Urban Park, represent the very best that Canada has to offer and tell the stories of who we are, including the history, cultures, and contributions of Indigenous Peoples. The Rouge is an example of what can be accomplished when all levels of government, Indigenous Peoples, farmers, conservationists, and community leaders work together towards a shared vision. Today’s land transfer from the Toronto and Region Conservation Authority to Parks Canada is a major step forward in the completion of the Rouge and a reason for celebration.”
Gary Anandasangaree,
Member of Parliament for Scarborough—Rouge Park
•Parks Canada now directly manages 94.7 per cent of lands identified for Rouge National Urban Park, with the remaining land transfers from neighbouring jurisdictions expected to take place in the coming year.
•Rouge National Urban Park is now more than 16 times larger than Vancouver’s Stanley Park, 19 times bigger than New York’s Central Park, and 41 times larger than Toronto's High Park. And what makes Rouge even better is that it is actually a Park that, by design and legislation, is there to protect the ecological integrity of the Rouge Watershed.
•The transferred lands were committed to Parks Canada by TRCA as part of a multi-party land assembly agreement in December 2014. The transferred lands include the majority of the original regional Rouge Park.
•Rouge National Urban Park is within a one hour’s drive of 20 per cent of Canada’s population and accessible by public transit, providing unprecedented opportunities for Canadians, including many youth and newcomers, to discover and connect with nature.
•Now in its sixth year, CPAWS Wildlands League’s Paddle the Rouge event is a great opportunity for first-time paddlers of all ages to experience paddling on the Rouge Marsh and River, and for experienced paddlers to help support the organization.
•Rouge National Urban Park has a rich diversity of nature, culture, and agriculture, including more than 1,700 species of plants and animals; some of the last remnants of the Carolinian forest in Canada; large tracts of some of the rarest and most fertile farmland in the country; and human history dating back more than 10,000 years, including some of Canada's oldest known Indigenous sites.
•Backgrounder – Rouge National Urban Park Milestones
Oct 21, 2017 · Totaling 79.1 km 2 once fully complete, Rouge National Urban Park is the largest urban park of its kind in North America – 19 times larger than Stanley Park in Vancouver, 23 times larger than Central Park in New York, and close to 50 times larger than Toronto's High Park.
Jul 25, 2018 · Rouge National Urban Park is an ecologically protected zone in the Greater Toronto Area that encompasses much of the valleys of the Rouge River and Little Rouge Creek. A total of 79.1 km 2 of land has been committed to the park, which straddles parts of the Ontario cities of Toronto, Markham, Pickering and the Township of Uxbridge.
Nov 29, 2022 · Rouge National Urban Park is home to 1,700 species, including more than 1,000 plant species, 247 bird species, 73 fish species, 44 mammal species, and 27 reptile and amphibian species.
People also ask
What is Rouge National Park?
What is the history of Rouge national urban park?
How big is Rouge national urban park?
Why is Rouge national urban park important?
Explore the history of various areas of the park, from an old logging trail, to schoolhouses, to former campgrounds and cottage getaways. Learn about the history of the Rouge Valley and how the land has been used in many different ways.
