An eastern Ontario “environmental gem” named after the love of a war veteran’s life has been put up for sale, to the dismay of some locals.
The land for Nellie Lunn Park in the town of Wollaston, Ontario, about 250 kilometers southwest of Ottawa, was bequeathed to the municipality in 1981 by Boleslaw Klincewicz, who fought in World War II.
Klintsevich, who was on the verge of death at the time, had two conditions for the gift. First, the 40-hectare parcel of undeveloped mixed forest and wetlands on the Canadian Rocky Shield should be preserved as a public park.
Second, it should be named after Nellie Lunn, the woman he called “the love of his life.”
However, the city council voted to sell the land to help raise money to build a fire station. This led to demonstrations outside the council office, with people calling on elected officials to change their minds.
“This park is quite an important asset for the municipality in terms of green space, representing 97 per cent of the green space that the council owns,” said JD Fentie, who is part of a group called Friends of Nellie Lunn Park.
The need for a fire hall, Fenty told CBC Radio’s All In A Day, doesn’t justify selling the park.
“It was estimated that the sale would generate $150,000, maybe $250,000, and the firehouse would cost about $2.5 million,” Fentier said. “So that’s a drop in the bucket.”
All in one day8:36 A park bequeathed to the town in memory of the woman a World War II veteran loved is now up for sale in Wollaston.
We will come here from Friends of Nellie Lunn Park.
An injunction is sought
CBC News tried to contact the municipality for comment last week, but did not receive a response.
Friends of Nellie Lunn Park have expressed concern that if the park falls into private hands, it could lead to development that would have a ripple effect on nearby Lake Wollaston.
The group has asked the court for a restraining order. Fentie said to “delay the decision until the judge can consider the arguments being made by both sides.”
Fentie said Lunn’s descendants had written to the council asking them to donate the land to charity instead.
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