Ottawa River heritage bid stalled at environment minister's office

A five-year campaign by more than 100 volunteers to designate the Ottawa River a Canadian Heritage River is in jeopardy because of a delay at the federal environment minister's office.

The Ottawa River Heritage Designation Committee says the designation would boost tourism by promoting the river's history and conservation.

"It was the river that opened the country up to exploration and settlement," said committee vice-chair Fred Blackstein. "If it isn't a heritage river, there isn't any."

Parks Canada, which is responsible for the designations, confirmed it gave the group's proposal conditional approval in May 2006.

But the committee still needs a signature from Environment Minister John Baird, MP for Ottawa West-Nepean. It has been waiting seven months for the signature, which it needs to get within two weeks in order to meet a crucial deadline, Blackstein said.

"We are getting very, very restless," he added. "And I fear greatly that the project, the volunteer-driven part of it, could collapse."

A spokesman for the environment minister's office told CBC News that it is currently working with Renfrew-Nipissing-Pembroke MP Cheryl Gallant on the issue.

"When we have something to announce, we'll let you know and we'll announce it," he added in a voicemail.

The signature must be obtained within two weeks in order to provide time for the committee to come up with a plan for how the heritage and conservation values of the river will be preserved before a June 9 annual meeting of the Canadian Heritage Rivers Board.

Committee members last met with John Baird in August 2007 after he took over as environment minister from Rona Ambrose, who received the proposal in October 2006. The committee said it was told at the meeting that Baird would respond within 60 days.