Bay of Quinte MP Ryan Williams: The Federal Environment Minister Continues to Ignore the Residents of Prince Edward County

February 26, 2024
Bay of Quinte MP Ryan Williams says Environment Minister Steven Guilbeault
continues to ignore the concerns of residents of Prince Edward County.
MP Williams says “First the Environment Minister, in the name of climate
change, decided to evict the fishers of the Commercial Fishing Village
Heritage Area, who have been doing sustainable fishing in the Prince Edward
Point National Wildlife Area for almost 200 years. Now in the name of
climate, the Minister will destroy the last nesting habitat of barn swallows in
the Prince Edward Point National Wildlife area.”
MP Williams has been presenting petitions and lobbying Minister Guilbeault
about the commercial fishing leases since 2023. Today his office in Bay of
Quinte has heard from many local residents who are upset about this week’s
demolition of the shed at Prince Edward Point Wildlife Area that is used by
nesting barn swallows. One resident wanted to voice their objection to this
loss of an important bird habitat saying “Barn swallows have been using the
shed and other buildings for generations of breeding and they are listed as a
species at risk with ‘special concern’. Demolishing the shed at Point Traverse
in particular would mean the loss of habitat for up to 70 barn swallows just
in the Spring 2024 breeding season.”
MP Williams will continue to press Environment Minister Guilbeault for an
immediate halt of this destruction and lease termination