MR. GRAHAM STEELE: Mr. Speaker, my question is for the Minister of Natural Resources. Long Lake Provincial Park is shared between three constituencies, the most travelled part is in Halifax Fairview. It's a beautiful, large wilderness park used and loved by many people from the wide surrounding area. But, Long Lake Provincial Park was closed in the wake of Hurricane Juan one year ago and to the chagrin of park users, the park has remained closed ever since. My first question to the minister is a simple one, when will Long Lake Provincial Park reopen?

HON. RICHARD HURLBURT: Mr. Speaker, all of our parks in the HRM that were impacted by Hurricane Juan, our department's been working very diligently to get the clean up ongoing to all the parks. There are some parks still that all the clean up has not been done, i.e., McNab's Island. We've done the nature walk paths there, but there's still real, real serious blow down in the area and we're working on that as we are Long Lake.

MR. STEELE: Mr. Speaker, park users are confused and they have every right to be. There are signs at the entrances to the park saying park closed and that's enough to discourage some people from entering, yet a spokesperson for the department is quoted in a June 3rd media report as saying about entry into the park, "I don't know if it's illegal, but

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you are in there at your own risk" Any user of a wilderness park knows the risks inherent in being in the wilderness. So many people, including me, have continued to use the park throughout the year. Will the minister confirm his spokesperson's comment that the closed signs at Long Lake Provincial Park are not intended by the department to prohibit entry, but only to warn users that they enter the park at their own risk?

[3:45 p.m.]

MR. HURLBURT: Mr. Speaker, the safety of the users of all of our parks is always high on our radar screen. We want to make sure that the parks are safe for visitors. That is why it is posted, for the safety of the general public.

MR. STEELE: Someday, Mr. Speaker, the minister will actually answer the question that I ask. It's apparent, even to casual users of the park like me, that hurricane damage is relatively mild, and park users, much more knowledgeable and experienced than I, confirm that observation. The real reason, the true reason that Long Lake Provincial Park is not reopened is simply that the Department of Natural Resources lacks the human resources even to assess the damage. They won't allow highly knowledgeable and experienced individuals outside the department to help them.

So let's be clear. The problem is not the park. The problem is the department and its lack of resources. My question to the minister, when will the department tap into the knowledge and commitment of park users and get on with the job of reopening Long Lake Provincial Park?

MR. HURLBURT: Mr. Speaker, again all of our parks are very important to our department and we take the safety of the people very high. I am sure the member wouldn't break the law. He was not in the park when the park was closed. I'm sure that's not what he's telling the members of the House. I will tell that member and all members of this House that we will assess that park, as we have all of our parks, and we will be putting tenders out for the cleanup of all of our parks but we will not open those parks until they are safe for the general public.