MISSION STATEMENT

Save Ontario’s Algoma Region (SOAR) is committed to promoting and supporting the concept that:

Ontario’s Living Legacy is an unrivaled commitment to preserve and protect Ontario’s renowned natural environment for the use and enjoyment of current and future generations (Draft Document: The Great Lakes Heritage Coast, p. 4, July 2003).

• SOAR promotes and supports the rights of all Ontario citizens to enjoy and protect the natural environment as declared in the Environmental Bill of Rights, 1993:

  • The people of Ontario recognize the inherent value of the natural environment.

  • The people of Ontario have a right to a healthful environment.

  • The people of Ontario have as a common goal the protection, conservation and restoration of the natural environment for the benefit of present and future generations.

  • While the government has the primary responsibility for achieving this goal, the people should have means to ensure that it is achieved in an effective, timely, open and fair manner.

• SOAR promotes and supports Ontario’s Crown Land Use Policy as stated with regard to the Great Lakes Heritage Coast to:

  • protect its outstanding scenic beauty and natural ecosystems;

  • promote its recreational and tourism potential through the establishment of a network of parks and protected areas and complementary tourism infrastructure;

  • ensure that only development that is compatible with the overall policy intent for the area is permitted; and,

  • foster cooperation and actively seek partnerships with other levels of governments, Aboriginal communities, and interest groups in the planning and management of this coastal area (Ontario’s Crown Land Use Policy Atlas, 2007).

• SOAR promotes and supports:

  • Conservation, energy efficiency, and local solutions to meet local needs and global responsibilities;

  • Renewable energy projects which are small-scale, community-based and ecologically- and environmentally-friendly;

  • The Education of the Public with regard to the dynamics of renewable energy projects in Ontario and in the Algoma District;

  • Full Disclosure to the Public of all renewable energy projects proposed on Crown land and  private land in the Algoma District;

  • Ensurance that the people in the Algoma District have the knowledge of and the means to respond to proposed renewable energy projects to the appropriate government agencies.

  • Advocacy of protecting the natural environment, the wilderness and wildlife habitat.

  • Promotion of wise planning of renewable energy projects at the municipal or local level.