MNR talks with native group to re-open Springwater Park

By Laurie Watt Barrie Advance 

The Ministry of Natural Resources is talking with the Beausoleil First Nation about reopening Springwater Provincial Park as a pair of warring citizens’ groups wait to hear if they’ll be included.

But while the ministry is “pleased to be working with” Beausoleil, the ministry isn’t yet ready to release details on what’s being discussed, ministry spokesperson Jolanta Kowalski said.

As partnership talks began just before Christmas, Camp Nibi — founded by a group led by Elizabeth Brass Elson as an outreach and healing initiative — packed up and left for the winter. Brass Elson plans to restart the group’s activities and ceremonies in the park this spring, although snow still covers the ground in the 193-hectare park that opened in 1927 and was shuttered by the ministry a year ago.

Both the Friends of Springwater Park and its offshoot, the Springwater Foundation, however, say they are awaiting dates to meet with the MNR, as $100,000 they both claim to control remains frozen in the bank.

“The MNR is very selective on who they will work with. As you know, in the beginning, Friends of Springwater Provincial Park has had open decisions with the MNR since the announcement of the park changing to non-operational status,” said founder Ian Taylor. “We want to continue to have a positive relationship with them.”

He refused to say any more about the dispute.

Jack Garner, however, who raised the funds as a member of the Friends of Springwater Park, said he began to have concerns about the group’s financial practices when he discovered it did not issue receipts or keep ledgers.

“They have duties they have not lived up to,” said Garner, who had financial signing authority with the bank. “They should be giving receipts to people.”

Taylor said yesterday that his group is non-profit and isn’t required or allowed to provide receipts.

Garner said he had a lawyer freeze the funds and left the group, then helped found the Springwater Foundation.

Neither group is a registered charity with the Canada Revenue Agency.

A third group led by Springwater Township deputy mayor hopeful Les Stewart, the Springwater Park Citizens Coalition, is still keeping an eye on the park. It, too, does not have charitable status.

Garner said the Springwater Foundation is waiting to hear when it will be included in discussions with the MNR, since the group has the money to pay off the operating debt the park incurred in its last year of operation.

“The bottom line is they’ll get that park reopened, but there’s a few hurdles to hop over before they do,” Garner said.