AYLMER, QUEBEC | An inferiority complex? Who? Us?

We discovered this summer that Truro, Nova Scotia, has a 1000-acre forest right in the middle of the city.

How is it that a 12,000-resident tax base supports such a project, while Gatineau, Quebec, with twenty times the population, is strained to the utmost merely considering preserving the Boucher Forest?

Shouldn't the fourth largest city in Quebec, the province's western portal and its face to the capital of the country, shouldn't this important city see a large, urban forested area as a magnificent opportunity?

No one in Truro remembered major anguish and hand-wringing over the establishment of their park. No one remembered agonizing and finger-wagging, as we're doing, over spending money on such a "non-essential" municipal project.

Are Nova Scotians a bunch of spendthrifts? Can't they recognize the value of a dollar? Don't they realize that streets have to be repaired, buses provided, water purified?

Truro opted for a multi-use plan for their forest, but each usage is kept localized and not spread throughout the park; they did not compromise the integrity and the continuity of their forest. This park has the largest outdoor pool in Nova Scotia, plus tennis courts, a water park for kids, an large outdoor bandstand for concerts and festivities (like Outaouais en Fête), and a huge picnic area -- all around the urban end of the forest.

There are walking trails -- no cycles, dirt bikes, ATVs or snowmobiles -- leading off into the woods. The main part of the forest is kept as a conservation area, so it has a "pack it in, pack it out" philosophy. And, yes, the trails were not only well-maintained (teenagers hired for the summer) but there was no trash. The forest is now Truro's main claim to fame, and it attracts many tourists, most from nearby regions. There are busy restaurants, coffee bars, and gift shops. The town has a lively farmers' market.

It is easy to attribute our own timidity over taking advantage of the Boucher Forest to our concern for improving civil services or even to our lack of vision. But with a city as large as our own, there should be no need to see a conflict between better municipal services and a better quality of life.

Indeed, if our own tax base does not allow us to create a real city here (as opposed to a bedroom community for Ottawa) and if provincial funding is inadequate for such a modest goal, shouldn't we be questioning the quality of government we receive from our councilors and MNAs? What are they wasting so much money on that they cannot afford parks and recreational facilities for our kids and seniors?

A hidden issue in this debate is our lack of self-respect. We think we don't deserve this asset. We don't believe our children, our parents, and ourselves are valuable enough to create an urban forest.

Do we feel we're worth nothing more than tract housing, asphalt, and cheap big-box stores?

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Copyright © 2008 Fred Ryan/Log Cabin Chronicles/08.08