I am an avid fisherperson so have a vested interest in this subject. I hope to raise points that make sense even to someone not a fisherperson. I am not alone in my views regarding this as I have spoken to many residents of Kingston who are fisherpersons and we all share the common points that I will outline. What I present to you is a united front, who come from a variety of political backgrounds.

A couple of years ago one of the most popular fishing spots for those Kingstonians who do not have access to a boat was closed to our use, that being the docks at the LaSalle Causeway in Kingston. We have learned that these docks are owned and maintained by Transport Canada. This leaves residents of Kingston,Ontario with no public fishing access unless they have a boat. There is no shore fishing spot available to us that is public access. There is talk of a spot possibly opening but it is miles away and the fishing in that area is poor at best. The LaSalle Causeway spot was a prime fishing spot, and right in the middle of the downtown core so easily accessable for all especially the disabled in wheelchairs. This will not be the case with any other spot that may or may not be made available. Kingston is listed as a World Class Tourist attraction that even has World Heritage site designations. Some of those are within sight and walking distance to the LaSalle Causeway. Each election time we hear great promises from all the partyies on how they want people to spend more time outdoors. I promise you that fishing is a sport for those that love the outdoors, this action of the Transport Ministry slams the door on our ability to partake in a sport we love. We are middle class working families, low income earners both single and married, disabled adults, and many others. We cannot afford to go out and buy a new boat just to be able to fish, nor should we have to. The Government of Canada (Our Government) has a dock (actualy there is more than one there) that is not being used, and has served us for many years as an excellent fishing location. We want that ability re-instated. Our only spot right now as I write this is on the other side of the road, and has giant bolders as a shoreline so that only the most agile of anglers has a chance to walk on them without falling and seriously injuring themself. This certainly would exclude us taking our children fishing, and the elderly and disabled cannot attempt it at all. We believe in preserving the outdoors and we are always committed to keeping any area where we fish as clean as, or cleaner than, we find it. We have decided that we are committed enough to band together and we will make this an issue if and when an election is called. We call upon you all to make that point unneccessary by reversing this decision. If you are the minister of transport , and if you are an opposition critic use your position to stand up for the ordinary Canadian who loves the outdoors, the ordinary Canadian who wants a chance to enjoy fishing and teach their children the love of outdoors not just the love of sitting at a computer screen all day playing video games.