We are thrilled to announce the launch of the Ontario Children’s Outdoor Charter!

The announcement was made with the Honourable Minister David Orazietti, Minister of Natural Resources, in Sault Ste. Marie on October 17, 2013. A news release can be accessed at http://news.ontario.ca/mnr/en/2013/10/celebrating-the-new-ontario-childrens-outdoor-charter.html, and a backgrounder is available for viewing and download on the MNR website at http://news.ontario.ca/mnr/en/2013/10/introducing-the-ontario-childrens-outdoor-charter.html

Member organizations of B2N were integral in providing input that allowed this project to become reality, and they were joined by many other Ontario individuals and organizations who contributed their perspectives, including a large number of children and young adults who accounted for nearly half of all responses received. The outcome is a true reflection of your participation and we hope you’ll recognize your voice in it: thank you for playing a key role in the creation of this Charter!

The Charter website can be found at

http://childrensoutdoorcharter.ca/

To share the Charter on twitter, our hashtag is

#kidsoutdoorcharter

This project was co-led with the MNR, and one that has come to fruition as a result of close to a year of intense work by a Steering Committee of Founding Partners. Hearty congratulations and thanks are offered to the following Steering Committee members and their organizations:

Ministry of Natural Resources

Ala Boyd, David Hintz, Sandra Johnson, Scott Poser, Rebecca Zeran

Ministry of Tourism, Culture and Sport

Carol Oitment, Jenn Neilson

Royal Botanical Gardens

Barb McKean

Parks and Recreation Ontario

Diane English

Ontario Nature

Anne Bell

Biodiversity Education and Awareness Network

Barrie Martin (former Chair)

Fish and Wildlife Heritage Commission

Vaughn Collins (former Chair), Tom Brooke (current Chair)

KidActive

Shawna Babcock

We will be encouraging sign-on by individuals and organizations in the near future – stay tuned and check back here for more information!