The battle over an environmentally sensitive piece of land in west Windsor continues.
Fearing that the land will be developed, Windsor West MP Brian Masse wants Ojibway Shores transferred to Environment Canada or the city. The federal minister of transport says it's a local decision to be made by the Windsor Port Authority Board of Directors.
Masse says the port authority, which controls the land, can save at least $2.1-million over the next 30 years by transferring it.
"The community will not allow Ojibway Shores to be bulldozed and razed to the ground, similar to what they tried to do a number of years ago with a proposal to do a plaza development," says Masse.
The port authority says it costs $70,000 a year to maintain the ecologically significant land and it generates no revenue from this parcel. It recently proposed to lease the property to the community for 30 years at a cost of $10-million to $12-million.
Masse is urging the port authority to save Ojibway Shores by transferring the land.
"Environment Canada provides the swiftest and quickest way to deal with it and leaves it in an environmental state. I understand the City of Windsor has had some interest in it and I wouldn't stand in the way of that," Masse says.
The MP says the port authority lists the land as available for commercial development despite its ecological significance.
"Sure they can have a fantasy land buyer that's going to be out there for $14-million, which they claim, but that hasn't come to fruition. So, they can do the right thing right now," says Masse.
The Windsor Port Authority says it cannot transfer Ojibway Shores, it only manages the land. CEO David Cree says the port authority continues to work with the city to keep the space green but a solution has not been found yet.